Venustas Immortalis
by FullmetalReborn
Summary: Final Fantasy VII Drabble Collection: "Okay, first of all, it was supposed to be romantic, Cloud, stop laughing, damnit!" [Multiple pairings; genre changes with drabbles ; requests accepted ; AU Verses]
1. Venustas Immortalis

**A/N: Welcome to my drabble series in the FFVII universe. I never complete any of my ideas so I decided to smash them together and hey, maybe someone might get inspired and use it for their own story? If this doesn't get any responses im gonna be a sad puppy. If you get any idea from it or want me to elaborate so you can have your try at it, tell me and I'll be happy to fill in the blanks. Also so I can check it out myself and see how you did.**

**This style is really choppy and constantly moving. I feel it flows a lot better too. Thanks guys! Leave your comments!**

**Idea number one: Cloud Strife deals with a terminal illness that slowly eats at his body and mind. **

**Pairings: Angeal/Sephiroth/Genesis/Cloud/Zack? ; Hints of Vincent/Genesis/Sephiroth/Angeal**

* * *

"Everyone's gotta have dreams!" Bright violet eyes lingered on every face and even his. "Don't matter if they're unattainable, gotta have dreams to survive!"

Those eyes were on his, expression goofy and wide as if he knew exactly what he was inwardly debating.

But how could he know, he knew nothing, knew _nothing-Diediedie_

"The sky is the limit when ya dream! The sky!"

**_Splat_**

_Sorry mr strife, we can't locate the exact problem.  
Mama why are you choking, why are you-_

He could only stare at the dead raven with an unreadable expression because really, a broken wing with dead Eyes gazing to the sky.

The sky is the limit.

He thought_, I really don't want to die._  
Eyes glazed with death, _I really don't want to die._  
He had left class, not even aware of the blood he had on his own paper.

Later on it had been Angeal who found him.  
They sat on the floor of the restroom and Cloud had been trembling because the tablets were supposed to work and the _ravens were not supposed to die._

Angeal said nothing this time and held him with low rubs to his back.

Time blurred forward and Gen was gone more, training the new boy and he was jealous, they loved him so much more_. He was dying-_

The bridge was such a tall thing, he had never noticed it before. He gazed at it and wondered just wondered, the raven gazed back at him, dead eyes teasing because _he had fought hard and everything hurt-  
_He dialed Seph's number, it answered immediately. "Cloud? Are you alright?"  
A frown tested on his lips, stomach turning. He could hear Genesis in the background with someone else, his mind supplied him with that and _cloud you're so lovely, you're the only one-_

"I don't know." His voice sounded distant to even him, he crossed over to one end at the bottom of the bridge before hanging up and throwing up.

What looked back at him was undeniable proof he was dying.

_Dying dying dying sky was the limit I don't want to die.  
It won't hurt, the sky-_

He stood at the top of the bridge, roar of the wind in his ears for over two hours before Seph called him again, no more Genesis in the background.

_Just let me die._

Time blurred again and he could remember the doctor telling him it got worse, what was he doing to himself. Gen screaming at him, why was he allowed to give up? Angeal with that firm hand on his back and the roar in his ears never went away and _why was the raven in the corner-_

Sky is the limit, _I wanna die-_

He had called Seph again. It was cold and the bottom of the bridge was incredibly dark.

"Cloud?" There was nothing in the background but his mind told him he was there. Of course, they were replacing him. That was good, he was dying and he gave up.

"Hello." Cloud breathed, suddenly tempted to not do a thing but stand there and listen.  
But no, _no no no no no-_

"Are you alright? Where are you? Genesis went looking for you."

"Oh. Oh that's bad." Cloud said lightly. _Why why why why_  
"Seph, why am I dying?"

There was silence, some shuffling and Cloud felt his tears.

"It's not over Cloud, you-"

"Sky is the limit. I don't _wanna _die, who who."

He stopped because Seph stopped and the bottom of the bridge looked so comforting.

_dead eyes gazed back, edging him closer. Ravens aren't supposed to die, Sephiroth, don't you know?_

"Cloud, come home."

But oh no, oh no he couldn't.

"I really love you all. Was so sweet and I'm sorry I couldn't fight but it hurts. Hurts hurts hurt make it stop-"  
He nearly threw up and then he heard it.

"Cloud!" And suddenly Seph was aware of what he was doing.  
"Cloud come home." Desperate panicky_, you have a replacement don't lie no we don't cloud_

He dropped the phone and jumped.  
Another scream filled the air-_it wasn't him this time_-and he hit the ground and-  
The sky is the limit.

_I don't wanna die_

Genesis was the one to find him.  
He had watched him jump.  
And in death he was free.

Cause death was the limit, not the sky.

* * *

**Inspiration: I kid you not, I dreamed about this idea. I literally saw it word for word. I have this weird thing where in my dreams I literally feel everything. Everything looks and sounds hazy but I felt the absolute terror and pain Cloud was in during all of this. I added the ending when I woke up at 3 AM to write it out. Basically in a different AU universe, Zack was the one giving him the speech about the sky and for some reason a dead raven was in my dream and it became the main symbol of Cloud's jump into insanity. It is a mix of what sickness and illness might do to a family if the person ends up withdrawing. I'm no expert so this might be horribly done but ya, whatever. I will have another idea put up very soon. **


	2. Miss Cloud Strife

**A/N: READ ME**

**These are drabble ideas people. Ideas I started but never found the incentive to actually continue them. I have thrown them altogether into one story because hey, maybe someone else will like them and get an idea for their own story that way.**

**That being said, a lot of these are uncompleted fanfictions and are only main parts I wrote. Which are the beginnings. I suck, I know. I still hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed writing them down. I'll try to give them a proper and short ending but some of them you just can't do that.**

**Hope you enjoy this! Leave me your comments! Want to use them just do it and leave me a review if you have questions and such or just so I can see how it turned out.**

**Idea Number Two: Two minutes later Barret stumbled in on the strange scene of Tifa groping his breasts. A What if Hojo turned Cloud into a girl before the final fantasy VII game.**

**Pairing mentions but not actually there: Cloud/Tifa ; Zack/Cloud ; Zack/Aerith**

* * *

He shuffled into the bar, arms tightening around his frame in irritation at the onslaught of people present.

Ever since he arrived in Midgar the population of people continued to rise. He wasn't really used to it yet.

He wasn't used to a lot of things.

Entering he dodged a few more drunken people, eyes darting around for anything suspicious.  
The bar was warm, the walls bare and a bit shady looking. Though he assumed that wasn't what drew people in. The atmosphere was pleasant, a warm feeling that contrasted to the feel of the slums.

His eyes glowed very faintly when he caught sight of a large man glaring him down.  
He felt his hands twitch for his sword.

_His sword._

His eyes flickered, a sort of wane in his strength. He suddenly felt the need to just leave. It was a stupid idea, why the hell was he here anyways. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This was dangerous, this sudden leap was incredibly dangerous.

_We are gonna head to Midgar. Okay, Cloud? I got a girl waitin for me. Don't worry, I'm sure after we explain things she'll love you._

His hands tightened in fists. However, escaping was no longer an option, not when the large man was headed his way. The guy easily towered over him. He packed large firm muscle and a scowl that made him seem nastier then he probably was. Blue Mako eyes briefly glanced at the metal arm and for a moment his hands twitched for his blade again.

Calm down, Cloud. Just ask the stupid question, stop being a little bitch.

Right, the thought itself calmed him down. Calmed him down because it was _his _thoughts. This was him, not who he thought he was.

"We don't take your kind in here."

The blonde glared up fiercely because he was not about to be lumped together with something as stupid as_ Shinra. _He knew his eyes were hard to hide especially since SOLDIER was better known.  
-_You weren't a SOLDIER though_.

"I'm looking for Tifa Lockhart." He kept his voice even, face as passive as ever as the man growled, leaning forward to try and scare him off.

"As if I'll let you around her, get out of here before I make you!"

A small part of him was satisfied, satisfied Tifa found someone to take care of her. Even if he confirmed her position like an idiot.

"Not till I see Tifa." He said sternly, eyes glaring up at the man coolly. "You didn't deny that she wasn't here. So she's here and I want to see her."

The brutes mask broke and Cloud couldn't help the smirk tilting on his lips. The guy snarled, grabbing him by the collar and tugging forward. Cloud could have held his own, he walked with a new confidence that he knew wasn't his own but he dropped it for the moment. His balance was off, still dizzy from not being able to properly recover.

See Tifa. See Tifa. See _Tifa._

Those were the words that pushed him forward when he regained his motor skills. While he still remembered it he wanted to throw it all out there.

His blue eyes flashed around noticing no one was really tense. Except for the three siting by the bar. They stared, tense and scared. It told him that this group wasn't just violent towards Shinra for no particular reason. His mind sped up to the people who had reluctantly pointed him to the bar. Everyone knew Seventh Heaven was the base of operations for something dangerous.

"Scum like you only gettin out the bar. As if I'd let ya see Tifa!" The man dragged him forward, about to throw him out when he caught sight of her emerging from the back rooms.

A new found vigor ran up his spine as he easily forced the man to release him. Mako running through his veins was good for something. The man seemed appalled at the strength but snarled as burgundy brown eyes glanced up.

She looked older, he thought. Those brief moments he remembered from her were broken. A sweet little girl and a broken teenager crying to him as she died in his arms.  
She dressed in a white crop top, showing pale flawless skin, a short mini skirt sat snuggly on her hips that left little to imagination. A part of his mind was reeling at how open this Tifa was, even if he could remember an image of a young girl in a cow girl suit. Her was long, it spilled over her shoulders, tied at the end and tucked behind her ear. What got him the most was the fighting gloves on her hands. Tifa was a fighter.

"Cloud?" She stared at him wide-eyed, then, not at all caring, jumped over the counter and ran to him. "Cloud!"

Instinctively he opened his arms and steeled himself just in time for her to crash into him.

Her arms squeezed him, her body shuddering. He was a little awkward, he could feel the dirty looks and glare from the man behind him.

"I thought you were dead! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She pulled back, just the small sight of tears welled in the edges of her eyes.

He looked down at her, still fairly taller than her though he knew he wasn't his actual height. He saved those thoughts for later as he grasped her shoulders.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I have something I want to tell you in private. Call off your body guard." Venom tinted his voice, something that made Tifa flush as she pulled away from him and glanced at the man who was cursing up a storm.

"Barret, it's okay! Cloud is an old friend of mine. Please. I need to talk to him."

The man crossed his arms over his broad chest in irritation. "I don't trust ShinRa. I told ya-"

"Then trust me! Please Barret, Cloud would never hurt me or anyone here."

"Speak for yourself, if they get in my way they're collateral damage." He snarled it lightly, enjoying the way Barret bristled. Tifa glanced at him, a little mystified but stayed quiet.

Cloud was a quiet person, he had a quick tongue but never lost his cool. Cloud was a bit more confident, his stature small and lean but he knew he could kick some ass if needed. He knew how, it was all implanted into his brain.

The thoughts made him inwardly flinch but he pushed it away as Tifa led him forward, away from Barret and the crowd.

She led them to a back room. Probably the one she had occupied earlier. It was closed off and had a lot of personal items around besides supplies for the bar.

"Cloud, what's wrong? Are you really okay? After-After what happened at home I thought-"

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair in slight irritation. "Stuff... Stuff happened. I was... Trapped for... Five years? I can't remember. But I recently got out."

He paused, taking a step and feeling the need to collapse on a nearby seat. He didn't though, he would have to unhook his sword and he knew he couldn't it kept him grounded. "I... I got into trouble. It's... It's weird. This guy... I got stuck with. Remember him..?"

Her eyes glistened, reliving memories he knew she would rather not see again. She gave a slow nod, an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"He... Got us out. But... Was killed. I got away." He trailed off, sucking in a breath. He barely realized he was trembling.  
_-it was fuzzy, a body underneath him as the rain continued to pour. Deep blue eyes looked up at him, glazed over with death.  
_

_"Z-Zack...?"  
A smile shifted on his face before morphing into pain.  
He remembered the body, drenched in blood and bullet holes.  
Red, red, red, red.  
Don't smile. Don't smile Zack, don't smile like it's the end.  
It's the end._

A warm hand brought him back. His eyes focused, one hand reaching out to grasp her shoulder.  
A curious look was on her face, one that was discarded as she reached up and touched his cheek.

"Cloud." She stared with a heavy patience in her eyes, not the one he was used to from years ago.  
He never viewed Tifa as an anchor, he viewed her as someone he wanted to protect and show his worth to. She protected him for years, he wanted to protect her.

She slowly took his hand, keeping silent and offering a warm understanding he realized he desperately needed. She had grown up, grown up into a fantastic woman.

"Something changed." He blurted, feeling awkward under her heavy stare. He wasn't very good when she got that look in her eyes.

She was confused again, eyes narrowing on him curiously.

He carefully grabbed her hand, spreading it out and awkwardly running it on his chest. She seemed confused, a whole level of confused until his other hand found the small pin he was looking for on his side.

It came undone and suddenly she was grasping something that wasn't supposed to be there.

Slowly, her eyes morphed into one of complete shock.

He gave a small yelp when she suddenly reached forward with both hands and grabbed.

"What."

* * *

_"There we go buddy. Out you go, now-" The voice broke, caught off guard as a small sqwak was heard.  
"Okay. Okay. I'm pretty sure those weren't there before. I mean, I've seen you naked before!"  
_

_Pacing, pacing before the voice wandered closer and grasped a limp body.  
_

_"What did that fucker do to you? I'm gonna chop him in two." Protectiveness and anger filled the voice, fury just on the border of his words.  
_

_However it disappeared when clumsy hands groped.  
_

_He squawked again.  
_

_"Okay, okay, real, definitely real. Okay." The voice was a bit higher pitched, embarrassed and flustered. "Damn. I know it sounds totally weird saying this but you got some rocking breasts, Cloud. Don't worry! I'll look around to find a way to change you back. Don't want you beating me up because of it."  
_

_Movements, feet running around.  
_

_"Okay. Cloud is a boy. Not a girl with nice tits. Boy. Boy Cloud. Aerith, my girlfriend. Not helping actually. Whoa that's a bad thought, bad Zack."_

* * *

Tifa hadn't removed her hands yet and Cloud was sure he was about to snap under all the pressure.

"I don't. He couldn't."

"Cloud. Shut up." Her voice was stern, something he was surprised to hear.

"Cloud. You are a boy."

"I am."

"Boys don't have boobs."

"That's right."

"Cloud, why do you have boobs?"

"I don't know."

Silence, Tifa's eyes studying him in mystery.

Two minutes later Barret stumbled in on the strange scene of Tifa groping his breasts.

* * *

Escaping Hojo's lab had been a cinch. A few soldiers Zack was able to quickly dispatch.

However they spent more time in the mansion then either of them would have liked.

Although it wasn't likely, Zack searched for whatever Hojo used to make the blonde soldier a girl.

Cloud, totally unresponsive and unseeing, was dressed in regular SOLDIER 1st class gear. Zack had been hesitant when he ditched the mako soaked shirt and had the decency to blush at dressing his male turned female friend. A piece of him was glad Cloud was unconscious, the guy would freak out.  
He found a few reports and stuffed them into a backpack to review later. He would find Hojo and force the other to fix Cloud by blade point. For now he was trying to distract himself from the fact that Cloud made a pretty good girl.

Though it could be whatever it was that changed him.

With a smaller frame he now had a curve on his waist, wide hips and a smaller face. He had a bit of roundness to his cheeks and body in general. Cloud was fit as a male and now, as a female, he barely looked like warrior material.

Well, Cloud wasn't a warrior but that wasn't the point. His hair was just a bit longer, not losing the usual spike but otherwise as calm as it could be. He could only imagine how it would be if it grew longer and Zack was certain Cloud would be upset.

It was when he was deciding where to hide out from ShinRa he realized what Hojo was trying to accomplish with Cloud.

Cloud, an infantry man who had finished off Sephiroth, was now, technically, greater than Sephiroth.

Hojo was starting from scratch using Cloud.

Zack instantly felt sick, a shiver running down his spine when he realized what role he played in all of this.

He had grabbed the blonde at that point, tightly with a grief splaying across his heart. Cloud was fighting the Mako Addiction and had stared at him heavily, twitching and trying to send signals but failing miserably.

"God Cloud, I promise, nothing is ever going to hurt you. I'll get us out of this safely."

It was the one of the many promises Zack could never keep.  
At least the 'us' part.

* * *

Cloud collapsed on the bed to his hotel room. He didn't bother kicking up the covers, instead he kicked off his shoes to get into a better position.

He had spent a good portion of the day talking with Tifa and trying not to beat Barret to a pulp. He was embarrassed enough by his new... Assets, he didn't need that asshole of a man to learn about it.

Thankfully Tifa beat him to it, kicking the man out while Cloud flushed and crossed his arms over his chest.

They relocated to Tifa's bedroom where she insisted she see it all. Cloud refused, he was still a boy in his mind and letting a girl see him naked only led to thoughts he would rather not have. He was 16 in his mind still, he doubted those years that asshole stole from him would really count at this moment.

However, letting Tifa see it all had to come. He could hardly see it himself. Just seeing the breast every day was enough for him. He could remember Zack (Zack who was slowly fading from his memories, he grasped them only to feel them slink further away) constantly talking about why it was good to have boobs!

"_Spiky! Now you don't have to ask a girl to grope her boobs! You can just do it yourself! Buuuuuut… we're friends right? So does that mean I get dibs on feelin'em out?"_

After carefully explaining to her that his mind was _leaving _him, Tifa had nodded and seemed to come to some conclusion. She explained that over the past five years she had done a bit of snooping.

The fact she was a part of the AVALANCHE group was a surprise.

"_After what Shinra did… I don't think I was able to move on. Barret helped me out.. but jining AVALANCHE is something I wanted to do."_

She had held his hand for hours when he had fallen silent because his mind was not computing with his assets and why he had them and it was so disgusting.

But then she had given him this coy little grin, one that he remembered from his childhood when she had a terrible idea (Terrible for him, lord knows how many times he ended up totally fucked up because of it). "_Just think of the amazing things you can pull off now, Cloud. I mean, Barret can't even look you in the face anymore! You do make a rather pretty girl."_

He ran out before she could convince him to try on her outfits and to join her damn terrorist organization.

If only he knew he would end up thrown into the battle no matter what.

* * *

A few months later, a lot of pain and hurt and the recruitment of just _weird _things his gender came up again.

Despite looking completely male in his mind and making sure he looked like it outside fate screwed with him.

During a rather gruesome fight that had Barret and Cid cursing up a storm and Aerith throwing healing spells repeatedly Cloud took a claw to his side.

Let it be known how much he fucking hated dragons and their irritating tendency to have sharp pointy tails. Fuckers.

Not to mention they practically threw him at the damn thing. He was in a terrible mood.

When the thing was down and the group was getting back together there was an ominous silence.

He reached for the potion Tifa was extending and noticed the way she paled. "Cloud-!"

"No Fucking way! What the fuck is that?!" Cid barked and Yuffie was screeching about her eyes.

Cloud looked down and felt blush flash across his face. He braced his arms across his chest, totally aware he had flashed the entire team.

_You should charge them for that_, a very Zack like voice whispered.

The dragon had clawed clean at his chest and well look at that. His bindings were gone and the hole left a very beautiful view of breasts.

"You're a girl?! What the fuck?!" Cid was screeching and Cloud was turning away, aware that Aerith was now muttering she had called it. Barett, having walked in on it before was merely looking away and stomping off about girly flippin SOLDIERS.

Vincent, the only one to remain oddly silent now sported a soft blush. Cloud would have been amused if he wasn't trying to make his shirt fit the new assets and- _oh lord they were bigger then when he was first turned into a girl._

Nanaki merely looked confused and Cloud took that as a good sign.

"I always knew ye was special!"

Cloud was tempted to run the cat threw with the buster sword and swear if that shit was recorded he was going to be killing a lot of people.

"Seriously kid? It's always fucking something with ya! Didn't it cross your mind to mention ya got things in places they ain't otta be? We share rooms together!" Cid exclaimed and Cloud was close to losing it.

Before he could whip out his sword and material to skewer the asshole a cape was draped across his shoulders.

Vincent had actually removed his red cape and gave it to him.

He didn't have the heart to screech and scream with that scared hopeless flustered look Vincent gave him cause _damnit_ the guy was a gentlemen!

"Zack, you shoulda let me die." He whimpered, unable to escape the sudden laughter Aerith burst into and Cid's continuous cursing.

* * *

**A/N: "Two minutes later Barret stumbled in on the strange scene of Tifa groping his breasts." This was the sentence that brought this whole things to life. It is a bit on the serious side but I threw in humor because dude, Fucking yes. Also I might have spelled Barret's name wrong a few times but I am tired and a bit lazy to change it. In this universe Cloud was created into a girl where he was supposed to recreate Sephiroth just like Lucretia. Zack would have been the father of the child. Originally Cloud is supposed to be pregnant throughout the whole adventure but I changed it because eh, too much planning. And then this was born. I hope you all enjoyed it. Leave your comments and I hope the last piece was okay!**


	3. Immortalis

**A/N: Part of a series, still thinking about finishing this one. It's long as shit and I really liked the idea. Plus I got really creative with some of the small details in Cloud's life. I will only post the first piece because it's the one I was really proud of. At the bottom of this chapter I will briefly explain what I had in plan for this. It's a time travel theme, seriously, who hasn't tried it out.**

**If I plan to post the other two chapters I got I will have the same chapter title. just a heads up for the people who read my ANs and wanna know.**

**Idea Number two: Cloud Strife, age 26, stared into the eyes of his five year old self.**

**Pairings: Vincent/Cloud ; Zack/Aerith(?)**

* * *

It had started out as an easy enough day.

He had an early delivery to make so he had woken up at around 4 AM to make it in time. Tifa had fixed him a quick breakfast and wished him luck with a smile. He gave a muted thanks, promising to be back in time to tuck the kids in.

Denzel would be waiting for it, three years had passed but the kid was milking Cloud for all he had. Not that Cloud minded, he enjoyed letting the kid indulge in small childish things. Not to mention Marlene absolutely adored it when Cloud tucked her in or told her a story.

It had been hard at first but slowly he was telling her tales of their adventures. At first it was strictly fairy tales. Remembering any adventures was painful, it had taken coaxing from Tifa and the kids before he gave in. Mainly because they gave him all the time he needed. One day he decided to tell them the tale about how they had kicked their uncle Rufus' ass.

Since then he managed to spruce up stories, ranging from the dreaded Touch Me's and his weird responses to damn Chocobo's.

He finished up preparing for the trip before he jumped onto Fenrir and made his way out to Kalm. It was a long ride but he was determined to make it in time to pick up a few souvenirs for the kids.

Vincent was also resting there with Shelke, he was currently responsible for teaching the girl. It had been Tifa's decision and Cloud had agreed, if he could raise Denzel despite the kid's prior upbringing Vincent could manage with Shelke.

The thought of sharing some time with the ex-Turk was also making the trip more enjoyable. Catching up on battle tactics and having his moves checked up on was always good. Plus Shelke was doing a good job at helping him correctly start up his business and set up good carriers.

She was a sweet little girl, it was sad the poor thing would never live past the age of 10. Which led him to his current predicament.

The delivery had been easy enough but being bombarded by a whole group of left over Hojo mutations was not.

He had managed to avoid leading the things into Kalm and was ready to snap himself into the lifestream just to bark at the scientist and twist his throat again. Shelke and Vincent had appeared shortly afterwards and silently helped him out.

The disaster happened when one leapt at him when he was in midair. He twisted his blade, carefully running it through the wolf mutation.

Guts were sprayed through the air, mako and blood flooding his scents.

He clicked a few pieces of his blade together, landing beside Vincent before he prepared himself to end the fight with the silent companion who was so much_ happier_ since the events of deep ground.

The creations roared, a glow of a materia making itself known. Seems they had a sort of intelligence somewhere in them.

Cloud saw one lunging for them and merely went forward to meet it. He didn't expect his blade hit something that had not resulted in sprayed monster guts. A loud crack resounded and he realized he fucked up somehow.

The pulse from throwing a limit break, MP thrown into the mix he accidentally hit a materia and cracked it.

His eyes lit up in shock, attempting to pull himself away but it was too late.

"Cloud!" Vincent exclaimed, about to run forward before the blond swordsman looked up with a withering look.

He knew things were about to turn to shit and he was not about to drag any of his friends with him. A burst of light and pain engulfed his body.

'_...don't go getting yourself killed, you hear?_'

Funny, seems he couldn't even take his own advice. Vincent would never let him live it down. Despite the pain he felt the world rushing around him. He heard a shocked and startled scream that sounded oddly like Aerith.

A few other things mumbled by and he could have sworn he heard Zack's angered and worried voice. He was spinning, spinning in agony and pain that was hot and blinding. He just couldn't find a way to scream.

Is this what the lifestream was like? What the hell, it had been a tad bit more pleasant when he fell in with Tifa.

Then suddenly he was tossed into some sort of area. Gravity was felt, pain and vertigo landing all at once. Colors swirled around his visions as his hands tossed the blade in his grip. Gravity and reality slammed into him all at once and he hit the ground with a devastating crash.

Despite hating the stupid bloody fucking scientist his body had been able to make the crash even though it left him extremely dizzy and nauseous.

It took a while for the world to stop spinning. When it finally did he made out the bright blue sky above him. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, it vast and beautiful. He briefly made out the beginnings of trees.

He frowned, Kalm had a lot of dust and cliffs; how far out was he blown?

Not to mention how Vincent was handling the whole thing.

He briefly thought of ways to make it up to Tifa and kids for not being able to make it home in time.

He sat up, not trusting the change in vertigo to fuck with his head. Looking around he was proved correct by the growth of trees. A forest?

He gingerly sat up, allowing himself to groan and stretch out his limbs. He felt aches and pains and he couldn't fathom why. He remembered being thrown into pure white, such as the times Aerith had tugged him into the lifestream.

He never felt aches and pains because of it though.

"Hell-ooo!"

He paused, eyes blinking at the childish voice that called out through the trees. He briefly thought of Aerith, the young flower girl had called out to him the same way when he had fallen through the church. A piece of him was satisfied he hardly flinched at the thought of Aerith.

It helped with how much Marlene had taken a shine to the flower girl. She was happily pulling her hair up in the same way and wearing pink outfits. Cloud was slightly amused when he was chosen to braid her long hair and apply the pink ribbon. The nostalgia hurt at first but he really enjoyed seeing Marlene's warm and understanding smile when he finished.

He shook his head from the thoughts, looking around again in order to place where he had fallen and where his precious blade had fallen. The thing was a pain to make, no way was he losing it now.

"Hell-ooo!" The kid's voice called out again, it was soft and innocent. He found himself moving towards it. A kid out in the forest by himself was not a good thing. Especially since kids were hardly looked after nowadays. He always tried his best to look out for them, a small piece of him always blamed himself for the kids being orphans. Taking in Denzel and administering the cure to the kids eased the guilt just a bit.

"Hmm." The voice said, startling Cloud when he had reached a tree and peered deeper in the groove to encounter the kid.

A shock of bright blond hair caught his attention.

A few trees away was a short child, probably a little over four years who was inspecting a tree and kneeling down to pick something out.

Cloud stopped breathing as he ran his eyes over the small frame.

He was dressed in a sweatshirt, it was a light grey color and matched the light grey shorts he was wearing. His shoes were a bright white, smudged and dirty. His legs were bandaged up, small scraps from tripping and such in plain view.

Cloud stared, waiting for the small boy to turn to him.

It had started out as an easy enough day but if what he was looking at was any indication it ended fifty times harder.

The boy stood up, dusting his shorts before gazing up at the feel of a stare. Bright blue eyes stared at him, not one hint of mako soured in the bright soft color.

Cloud Strife, age 26, stared into the eyes of his five year old self.

"Hi!" The child said brightly, running up to him and not caring at his frozen state.

Shit was currently running through Cloud's mind at each step the tiny child took.

The blonde spikes were what gave it away. It was ridiculous what a tiny trim could do to untamable hair. He would know, a good year of his life the spikes were terrible. The past few years he trimmed it down in order to not be that... Recognizable.

"I saw you fall! Are you okay?" The child was smiling, it seemed stranger danger was the farthest thing on his mind. How naive and sweet, it was almost sad.

It startled him to think what on earth he was doing in the woods at such a young age. He could barely remember his childhood but he was sure being in the woods was a bad thing.

Realizing the kid was still awaiting a response he nodded. "Fine." He replied gruffly. It was enough to pacify the child as he rocked back on his heels, a shy smile in his face.

"You dropped your sword! I know where it is!" There was something in those childish eyes that Cloud had to do a double take. The blonde desperately wanted to jump on the stranger but his shy nature prevented it. There was something else, a sort of hope lurking in those childish blue orbs.

Cloud wondered if he had been a lonely child. He gave a nod, extending a hand before realizing what exactly he was doing. He cursed his habit with Marlene before trying to quickly fix it up.

"That so... Uh, let's go get it then."

The kid smiled, the same shy smile though it was wider now. He tucked his hand into Cloud's wide gloved one. He didn't seem to care that Cloud was covered in dirt or that his eyes had just a bit of a glow.

The kid shyly led him down the forest, twisting in certain areas like an expert. Then, they appeared in a small clearing where his blade had cleaved a tree in half and sat proudly in the dirt.

He released little Cloud's hand (okay that was weird, referring to someone else as Cloud...) and approached the weapon. Grasping it he tugged it out and almost sighed in relief that he had thought ahead and connected all six blades. The materia was still loaded into their slots. A mastered Cure and a restore the main ones in his arsenal.

Well, at least the ones he carried with him daily. Sadly he had ditched his bracer at home. Deciding mourning his mastered materia wasn't worth it he quickly placed his blade into the harness on his back and turned to look at the small child that was watching in complete wonder.

"It's pretty!"

The comment cracked a smile on the adult's lips. Most people didn't call a blade like First tsurugi pretty, maybe scary, deadly, fucking big, but not pretty.

What was currently striking him was the fact if his younger self was here that meant he was near Nibelheim.

"Are you tired?" The child was sparkling again, not at all caring that he had found a stranger with a massive sword. "Mama makes the best food!"

There was another shy smile, he was slowly starting to melt at the kids looks. Not to sound obnoxious but he was adorable at five years old.

"I dunno if your mom would like me there." He wasn't sure he could take seeing a woman he could barely remember as his mother again. Not to mention she wouldn't even know him. But a tiny hand had grasped his, eyebrows lightly furrowed on his tiny face.

"She won't mind. Can you tell me how you fell? Like-like an angel!"

Cloud was completely baffled. Like an angel?!

He was pretty sure he could hear Zack howling with laughter at him somewhere in the lifestream. The kid tugged him along the forest, slowly starting to talk and then full on gushing.

It seemed the fact Cloud, being an adult, hadn't told the kid to go away was enough incentive to completely let loose. It was sad, actually. Little Cloud was shunned, he had no friends and here he was desperately hanging into a stranger. Despite being completely overwhelmed he felt a twinge of pity and kept up a silent conversation.

Mama Strife had seen them coming and nearly exploded in worry.

Cloud stared, eyes staring at her with a newfound light as she gushed over her son.

Yeah, he really did miss his mom.

She rose, bright blue eyes taking in his dirty form with mistrust.

"Mama! I told him to come for dinner! He crashed, like an angel! And-and! Having an angel to dinner is-is-amazing!" Her child was so excited she couldn't help but soften up to the stranger.

Cloud was still completely astonished. His mom was a brunette.

"He also brought me home! I got lost, but that's not important!"

"Cloud Strife." The woman scolded, not realizing the way Cloud's eyes snapped up at him.  
She looked away from her child, peered at the curious gazes of Nibelheim going around before shuffling them into her yard. "I guess I should reward your hospitality. Come inside, Cloud, grab and extra plate."

The kid ran off with a large grin and Cloud walked inside, stumbling a bit before cringing at his dirty boots and his ragged appearance.

His mom (he couldn't remember her name, it was eating at him) closed the door, shutting the curtains before turning a careful eye in his direction. "Now, I don't know how you got here but you took care of my baby. I don't want any trouble with ShinRa, he's my baby-"

"ShinRa?" Cloud blurted before he could completely comprehend what he was saying.

She looked perplexed. "You... You look just like him, I know you are related to him. Isn't that why you're here?"

A small part of him was cringing at the implication that he was related to a ShinRa, oh the damn horror. "No... No, I'm... I'm not sure what I'm doing... Ma'am. I don't work for ShinRa." He was firm with his last statement.

However his mind was running on empty. He unlatched his blade, mind spinning and he knew pretty soon he wouldn't be able to handle the gravity of the insane situation.

He managed to barely, _barely, _hang onto his image when he was leading little Cloud. He took two steps, his once upon a time mother's voice fading before the world went black around him.

* * *

His dream was strange.

He could hear a soft voice arguing, flashes of pink and brown staining his vision. His mind was in a whirlwind, he swore it was Aerith arguing with someone he couldn't see or hear. There was a shift and suddenly he saw her face, stern and creased with worry that made her seem ages older.

_"Cloud... Okay! You'll... Fine!"_ She extended a hand, fear scattered across her face. _"Materia!"_ Was the last thing she screamed before he was torn away.

He was jerked back to reality, blue eyes snapping around him in shock. He was met with a dark room, his senses slowly fading when he realized he wasn't in danger.

He squinted, making out shapes before slowly piecing together that he was in the living room, near to where he had fallen moments before.

Despite being a stranger his mom had taken care of him; spread a blanket over his form and gave him a pillow.

Staring at the coffee table he had narrowly missed, a plate of food was resting with a tiny note to enjoy it. His vision was pretty good in the dark and was able to make out a tiny drawing a five year old could make.

With those thoughts he took in a shuddering breath and laid back down, not trusting to be upright with the thoughts spiraling in his head. He was in the past, nearly 15 years into the past. He was sleeping in the same house his five year old self was.

He remembered striking a materia and-

He sat up sharply, the image of Aerith reaching out to him returning. Her voice had been hard to hear but he knew she had shouted materia. Was she trying to help him get back to his time?

He fought hard for his future, he was getting better mentally and now he was thrown into the midst of everything. He felt sick.

What a twisted joke. He gnashed his teeth together, anger fueling through him at how unfair this was. What about Denzel? What about Tifa? What about the life he had finally carved for himself after many false starts?

He wanted to go back to his own time, wanted to wake up and have everything right in the world again. Everyone was happy, finally moving on. Vincent finally released his guilt and was aging again. All the wrongs were righted, it was a hard earned happy ending. How many times did they save the world, three?

Now, now back in time he had nothing. No friends, no Tifa, no Denzel, no identity! What was he supposed to do now?!

A pair of footsteps startled him, his eyes narrowing on the stairs when a boy came down. He could make out the movements with clear eyes.

The child was sleepy, he could make out sluggish movements as he crossed Cloud to enter the kitchen.

This was still _weird_ to him. Seeing the younger version of himself was just... Strange!

The light flicked on, momentarily blinding them both before the small child went into a cupboard to pull out a plastic cup that had a Chocobo painted on the side. He turned, sleepy blue eyes staring into the living room before he jumped in shock.

"God!" He exclaimed, clutching the cup to his chest in surprise.

It reminded him of those times he had caught Marlene or Denzel trying to steal cookies from the top of the fridge and freaked out when he made his silent presence known.

_"Cloud!"_ Marlene would shout, furious he had scared the crap out of here. Denzel had been panting, trying to calm down his heart.

"That's really mean." The small boy stated, sniffing as he walked to the water gallon and tilted it to pour himself a glass. Cloud didn't respond, he sat up, watching and silently happy he had a distraction to his negative thoughts. All he could think was what he was supposed to do if he was stuck here. The boy decided to join him, coming forward and nestling himself on top of the blankets that had been tossed on top of Cloud.

"Are you okay? Mama was gonna take you upstairs but you're hea-vy! Mama's the strongest and she couldn't move ya!" The boy looked excited again, smiling shyly as he drank up the water he had poured himself. The light was still on, the kid seemed pretty awake now too.

"Sorry..." He mumbled, slightly awkward and unsure how it was even possible to be talking to his past self. It was hard to imagine this small little kid would one day face the hardships he had.

He would be tortured for four years, lose a best friend, lose his village, and lose _Aerith_, his first real love before trying with Tifa.

"It's okay! As long as you're okay. My names Cloud!" The boy smiled sheepishly, carefully placing his full cup on the coffee table where the food was. The boy shuffled for a moment, seemingly to gather courage before looking up straight into his eyes. "Your eyes look really sad. Did you have a bad dream? Mama says it's always good to kiss the bad dreams away." He looked determined, awaiting a response Cloud wasn't sure he could give.

"Uh... It wasn't a bad dream. I just... Just lost my friends." He blabbed, nervously rubbing a hand his neck, unable to help it. The kid was as good as Marlene!

The small child blinked owlishly, a deep understanding on his blue eyes. "Lost your friends? Well, why don't you go find them?"

The kid shyly moved closer, Cloud stopped himself from moving back.

"I... I don't think I can." He averted his eyes for a moment, then, he jumped when a hand found his.

"Don't be sad! I'm sure you'll find them! I lost my friends! But its okay, I'm sure they'll come back."

Cloud's heart clenched. He knew what this was. As a child he had been shunned, no one wanted to be friends with the bastard child. He remembered a few who attempted it. He knew Tifa had been one of them but the girl had other things and people to be friends with. His Tifa had apologized for it but he realized it must have really hurt for a five year old boy to have to go through that.

"I'm okay by myself though, the forest is really pretty and there's a lot of cool stuff! I mean, I found you!" The child was bouncing back but a sadness loomed in those eyes.

Cloud hesitated, he felt terrible to just leave the kid when he knew things were gonna get fifty times shittier. It wouldn't help him, lord knows time paradoxes no longer existed if he was existing two times in one reality.

"And that sword! I want one but Mama thinks it's scary! Sucks, I really wanna play with one."

"You don't play with a sword, Cloud." He spoke, softly and swiftly, only slightly cringing at using his own name. "Swords hurt people, they are scary things."

The child seemed to ponder this, taking Cloud's hand and carefully looking at how big it was compared to his own.

"But... But I don't think you're like that. You didn't hurt me." The child was so innocent it hurt. "Swords protect, right? Then I can use it to protect."

Cloud clenched his hand lightly around the child's.

What if... What if he protected him? Of course it would be strange but maybe, just maybe he could make things different for this tiny and precious child. He didn't think of the kid as himself, it didn't take a genius to see how different they were. How would Cloud had been had he some sort of help? If he had someone to save him and the others?

"You're too small to protect anyone." Cloud said bluntly. The child pouted, put off until Cloud opened his mouth again. "But... You can become strong enough to protect people. For now though..." His heart raced at what he was about to say. How could he save someone? He couldn't save them... But... But this time it was different. The scared child looking up at him needed guidance, needed someone to reach out and protect him from the horrors he didn't even know about yet. "For now... How about I keep you safe?"

The child blinked before grinning and nodding enthusiastically.

"Okay! But promise me you'll teach me how to protect people okay?" He held out his pinkie and Cloud was eerily reminded of Tifa. What a childish promise.

Cloud, carefully and slowly, hooked his pinky around the child's.

With that, Cloud Strife hero of Gaia created a new universe, one that no longer had the straight course of the future.

He sealed his fate with a small child and sealed the fate of a world.

* * *

**A/N: Cloud Strife gets transported to the past and ends up making a promise to his younger self and mother. He wakes Vincent early and they travel the world with small Cloud. They somehow manage to gain Zack as their apprentice and take Shinra by storm, stopping Jenova and dealing with angry first class Soldiers. Aerith ends up in their Strife daycare service to Cloud's annoyance.**


	4. Immortalis 2

**A/N: Because I was asked I decided to post the second piece to this that I had already written. But this is all I really have for it, nothing more, sorry guys. It's just that once I got to the point of having Cloud and Vincent talk that it fell apart. But here is the interlude before that. If anyone likes the idea they are free to try their hand at it.**

**Oh, Cloud Strife from the future had to change his name, explained here in this chapter. And I just freaking love five year old Cloud Strife.**

**I forgot what the chapter was originally called but it is connected to the one previous to this one. They will have the same title name for refrence.**

**Guy's I absolutely love your ideas. I have a surprise for the next installment idea, someone had the plot bunny from reading my stuff so is started to work on it. Review, please? It does help me and encourage me to write more for this.**

**Pairings(?): Cloud/Vincent ; Zack/Aerith ; Young!Cloud/Sephiroth**

* * *

Snow Strife wasn't sure what to make of the man her son brought in.

He was fairly taller than her, still plenty short but handled himself well. She remembered setting her eyes on him and nearly crying in frustration. Those bright blue eyes and blonde spikes were just like _his._

The fact he had gotten onto her son's good graces was irritating.

Well, until she got a really good look at him that was. He looked like he was in the prime of his health, agile and fit. He carried a sword nearly as tall as him. He was closed off, pale and quite handsome if she thought about it.

He looked so much like her boy Cloud she had been frightened. Had ShinRa come to take him away? Why?

However the moment she uttered the name he looked shocked, almost offended by the thought.

The reaction made her trust him just a bit more. Not to mention the way his eyes held a veiled haunted look. He was damaged, so utterly broken her motherly instincts had sprung up. For some reason despite being an adult, he clearly looked years younger. Perhaps he had just passed his teenage years?

However, in those eyes she also saw healing. He was healing and that was enough for her to let him stay.

He was also heavy, probably made of thick muscle since her attempts to place him on the couch were useless. After putting Cloud to bed she decided to figure out his story and see where it went from there.

Which led her to her current predicament.

They were seated across the table, drinking some tea she made. She had let Cloud run off to play earlier in order to get him seated down and figure out what was going on.

He looked incredibly nervous and pale she almost called off the whole thing.

"I'm sorry about accusing you of ShinRa. You look like that man so much. I assumed you were related. But I can't fathom why you would take a shine to my Cloud. Doesn't that man have another son?"

She was just a bit bitter, that man left her high and dry, she should have known better. But it was a mistake she learned from. Her baby boy Cloud was all she needed.

"I uh, I'm not on speaking terms with ShinRa. Actually, I'd rather avoid them at all costs." He looked around nervously. His voice was just a bit hoarse, she quickly filed him off as a quiet one. Still, there was something strange about him she couldn't place.

"Are you in trouble?" She asked, concerned. He was a good boy, helping out her son even though he didn't have to. Cloud was a good judge in character, there had to be a reason the male was brought into her home.

"No. I-I just." He broke off, swallowing and fiddling with one of the belts that held the harness on his back. "I'm a bit confused, uh, I have no idea what I'm doing."

Lost, lost and scared? Her motherly instincts pushed up again. "And your family?"

She regretted it the moment she asked it. The pain in his eyes flashed for a moment, he looked desperate to escape.

"I lost them." His voice was clipped, the wound was fresh but more final then anything. Something was there though, probably the pain or losing the family but finding the strength to move on.

She picked up her cup, took a sip and hummed in thought. "Okay, let me get this straight, honey. You're not doing well with ShinRa, lost your family and have nowhere to go?"

He cringed just a bit from her. "I might head out afterwards, I wasn't looking to impose at all."

She blinked, amazed he come to that conclusion. She smiled, happy it got him to relax just a bit more. "Oh, I don't mean it like that. I'd love to have you here. Another helping hand at the house is exactly what I need! Not to mention Cloud adores you! Now then, what's your name?"

This time he looked caught off guard. Something in his expression softened before closing up. "I don't... Really want to use my name."

She tilted her head, trying to understand. "Oh, so you'd like an alias, do you have anything in mind?"

The male sighed, running a hand through his spikes in mild irritation. "No, it's not easy finding something new I'll respond to."

She smiled, there was sense in that. Though the thought of naming another boy made her giggle. "Why don't I make one then? I'll help you practice and respond to it, alright?"

He looked shocked at her input but she was already decided. Her family was known for their strange name choices. She quickly applied it here as well. "Well then, I named Cloud and it's a fantastic name. How about Storm? Storm Strife?"

He didn't seem put out by the last name, it hadn't sunk in until he looked up. "I'm sorry?"

She laughed, the boy was adorable. "Storm Strife! It'll keep those foolish neighbors from interfering if they see we're related. But what to do with that hair! I have no blondes in my family!"

She stared before giving a firm nod. "Now then, Storm. Stay here while I pick up a few things!"

Storm Strife was here to stay.

* * *

His mom was an amazing person. Cloud-newly named Storm- now had an alias and an identity. He hadn't expected his once upon a time mother to open up her home and her arms. She had smiled, shoved a few hair products at him and then told him an elaborate tale.

Storm was her brother who had recently come in to help take care of her baby boy after he had a shaky time in Midgar. Snow Strife was actually an only child, her parents had died from an illness and she used to live in Junon before she moved out to Nibelheim in an attempt to get away from it all.

It was strange to suddenly have to think of the woman who was his _mother_ as his sister. Though his memories of the woman were shaky and missing he remembered the warmth, the soothing voice.  
Seeing how smart and clever Snow was he wasn't sure he was seeing the same person. This woman was hardworking and determined, she was also very protective of her bundle of joy.

Cloud -_Storm_\- was not used to it. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to this.

Though a piece of him was slowly realizing these people weren't the ones he knew, they were completely different. Then she sat him down on the bathroom toilet and proceeded to dye his hair.

Okay._ What?!_

He was appalled she would do such a thing, his blonde spikes, although a total pain were _his_ thing. He looked the same, his hair merely a darker color that matched the young woman beside him. She smiled, proud before doing her own hair in order to keep up appearances.

He showered, was given instructions on how to make sure his blonde roots were never shown and to say his name repeatedly till it stuck.

He had 26 years of being called Cloud, this wasn't going to get any easier whatsoever.

He had settled down for lunch, tugging at his spikes in irritation at the product smell when he saw Snow staring out the windows with a soft worried expression.

"Cloud's late for lunch. I know I told him to go play but..." She trailed off, cupping her cheek.

Cloud -_Storm!-_ scratched the side of his face before getting up. "I'll go grab him then. He couldn't have gone too far."

She looked at him in relief, she smiled and he left the house in search the younger version of himself.  
People had looked up at the sight of him walking down the familiar streets. He was a stranger, they would quickly start to question the oddness of the Strife family soon.

He felt the spark and ache fill his chest at faces he recognized yet couldn't. The faces of the people who burned to death. He shut his eyes, shoving hands into his pockets and making his way down the trail and up towards the mountains where little kids like to play.

Well, little kids like Cloud.

He didn't have to wander very far, his eyes were sharp and had quickly spotted the mass of blond hair. To his amazement another kid was there too.

"Cloooud! That's nasty!" A girl's voice rang out.

"No it's not! It's really cool!" He approached slowly and carefully. He was surprised to see a young girl with short black hair peering over Cloud's shoulder. He recognized the wine colored eyes anywhere and realized it was Tifa.

Had she managed the time to talk to the small boy?

She tucked her hair behind her ear, looking closer at whatever it was the blond was doing.

"See? I told you."

"Wow!" Tifa gushed in excitement when Cloud pulled back to show a bright and shiny red ball.

_'Materia!'_

"It's really pretty! What is it?" Tifa smiled wide, childish eyes glistening in the red orb. Cloud looked proud of what he found and held it out for her to touch.

"I dunno! But a lot of weird stuff happened in the woods yesterday! This really big guy came falling out of the sky! Well, he wasn't that big but he had a really big sword!"

Tifa looked up in disbelief. "It's not nice to lie, Cloud! People don't just fall out of the sky!"

"Yeah, well he did!"

"Well then, what's mr-fall-out-of-the-sky's name then?"

Cloud opened his mouth, then snapped it shut when he realized he didn't actually now.

Storm took the chance to come closer and kneel down beside the kids. "It's Storm. Whatcha got there?"

He enjoyed the both of them shrieking at his sudden appearance.

Tifa blinked wide eyes, hands clutching the orb tightly as Cloud fell back on his butt.

"Storm!" Cloud suddenly shrieked, smile on his face. He was also a bit smug, Storm could practically hear the kid screaming 'I told ya so!' to Tifa. "Is that your name? It's like mine! That's really cool, Storm, do ya know what this is?"

Tifa relaxed, eyes staring at Storm in wonder as she shyly extended her hand.

The blond turned brunet took it with careful fingers, turning over the red summon materia. "It's a materia. Kind of like magic. They can be really dangerous if used wrong."

He squinted, trying to figure out what this summon was. All he felt was comfort, almost like a soft presence.

"Materia." The kids whispered in awe.

Storm held back a grin when he stood up, pocketing the red Materia and looking at them. "Cloud, your mom sent me to call you back for lunch."

They both hoped to their feet and the small Tifa smiled shyly before introducing herself. He never thought he would see the day where Tifa was shy.

He somehow ended up holding both their hands as they talked back and forth.

He got even more looks when he was seen with the mayors daughter. At least he had been smart enough to plan ahead and not take his sword with him. The guy would have blown a huge fit.

But the smile on their faces brought a new warmth to his chest he didn't want to let go of.

* * *

Storm struggled with trying to decide what to do.

Being in Nibelheim meant two things.

The mansion. The building was a huge catalyst to the future events. He wasn't sure if Hojo tampered with it yet or if people were still inhabiting it. Not to mention where JENOVA currently was. The alien bitch wasn't in Nibelheim, Storm would have felt the singing in his blood, even if he had been cured by geostigma.

The other thing was more important. Vincent Valentine.

He was torn, trying to decide if he should attempt to wake up his friend. Vincent was a good friend but he had no real reason to wake him. Thinking on the time he assumed it was near 20 or so years since he was placed in the coffin.

He hadn't had the chance to grab a newspaper to determine it all.

He also became busy in helping Snow around the house. Turns out the tiny building was in need of dire repairs. Considering Storm could take the fall from the roof he quickly set himself onto the task.

He also became a sort of mentor for Cloud. The small boy was as innocent as any other, his innocence was bright and his determination strong that Storm couldn't help but like him. With these small interactions he adapted. His name was a bit harder to grab onto, Cloud was able to help in that; he enjoyed being able to constantly scream the name when he found it fit.

He also separated the people from his memories. These were not the same ones he knew, they were new people he adjusted to.

He wondered if he could place this tactic when it concerned Vincent.

Cloud was a troublemaker. He ventured past the safety lines in Nibelheim and on more than one occasion Storm found him in a tree in the late nights. Those were the worst ones, he always properly berated the child in complete irritation.

He set down his set of rules onto the small child. The rules he used to survive and fight. When Cloud started to understand Storm told him the sharp piece of information he would need should something happen to the town.

He gave detailed instructions on how to find Vincent and stated the man in the coffin was a good friend, he will help when you really need it.

Now that left him wondering if he should bother to wake the mellow man who was currently repenting his sins. He never learned all of Vincent's story. The whole issue with deep ground was the ex-Turks ground and Storm respected the other enough to leave it be. He only helped out when it became a full out war. Vincent had fought and given his all and he succeeded. Saved the world in the process. He had become happier, teaching Shelke and his eyes a nice golden shade.

He felt terrible that this Vincent would never get that chance again.

Of course he could just let things follow their course but after being around Cloud and Snow for so long he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wouldn't let ruin and death happen to them. He would try his best to stop it. As long as he was ahead of Jenova and Hojo he could do it.

But in order to do that he needed to get into ShinRa and figure out how things were going to get done.  
He pondered the thought of whether he should kill Sephiroth or not. According to the small research he had done Sephiroth wasn't a famous SOLDIER yet.

He only knew this because Cloud had no idea what SOLDIER was.

It had been a little over nine months when Storm had to use first Tsuguri.

His presence seemed to knock a few things out of place.

Mayor Lockhart had been in a long debate with ShinRa, he refused to allow the company to investigate the materia mines located inside of Mt. Nibel.

For some reason his new presence in the timeline created a blockade from ShinRa. The debate was put on hold when ShinRa refused to send those common troopers to protect the tiny village from the dragons. Though dragons had never been a problem the force Storm had accidentally used to come to this time he gained the attention of nearby monsters.

At first there was small skirmishes the villagers were able to handle. Storm found no reason to carry his blade around, he was more than fit to handle the small monsters with his own fists. He was silently glad the Tifa and Vincent from his time found his hand to hand so appalling that they taught him.

He had been calmly teaching Cloud how to throw a good punch when the screams from the local grocery caught his attention. His enhanced hearing caught it before the neighbors and he was quickly onto his feet, ushering the kid inside and grabbing ahold of his own blade. The six interlocked blades had been stored in his bedroom, away from Cloud's prying hands. It reminded him of Denzel's own prying gaze when the entire blade was brought into the bar.

He made his way down in time to see the group of Nibelwolves making their way through the crowd. He heard Snow's cry for him to get inside but he merely positioned his blade. He channeled his energy, watching the wolves with careful eyes as they approached.

Then, without a second of hesitation he leapt at them.

The gang of wolves hadn't been expecting someone to attack in their little raid. Storm used that to his advantage, unhooking a blade and quickly moving to tear through flesh. When all of them were down and no longer getting up he locked the blades together, enhanced eyes gazing around for any form of threat.

Finding none but awestruck villagers he turned around to return to his home.

The peal of laughter from Cloud when the child attacked his legs felt like reward enough. Though Snow's pale face probably took away that warmth when she scolded him for being reckless.

After the attack Lockhart visited the family, Tifa clinging to his side.

Storm was able to see the cut on the girl's shoulder where a wolf had grabbed her. He assumed she had been on an errand for her mother when the attack happened. Snow took charge once the mayor asked for Storm's services in protecting the town. She had agreed but demanded he find a way to deal with the ShinRa problem. She wasn't going to let her baby brother fight forever. What if a dragon got to him?  
Once all deals were made Snow ushered Cloud and Tifa upstairs, the small girl was a little scared and attached herself to Storm's side until Snow put her foot down.

She didn't like the mayor but Tifa was a sweet girl so they made arrangements for her to sleep over with Cloud.

Storm's presence did wonders to the small friendship the two children had. There he carefully admitted his experience in fighting for his life. He assured Snow that he had been through worse than dragons and would be able to handle himself. After careful thought he explained to her about the mako running through his veins. Not wanting to scare her from his more tragic past (future?) he merely stated he fell into a mako pool and had been bedridden for a few years.

She came to her own conclusions, she still believed him to be the brother or _something_ of president ShinRa. Since then he was on guard duty, he spent less time at home, he wandered around the edges of town and getting rid of any monsters that wandered too close.

The true terror came three months after the first attack.

Before sunset a group of idiots wandered into the woods and angered a rather dangerous dragon. Storm felt terror when he had been thrown into battle when he realized the little blonde boy he swore to protect had not yet returned to the village for dinner.

* * *

Cloud knew he really messed up.

He shuffled the bag his mom had sewn together for him closer to his body as he ran down the mountain trail. He could see the bright embers of the town and the large dragon. His heart raced in fear when he thought of his mother and Storm still being in there.

He had promised to be home earlier but he had found a wonderful view of the entire village and spent his time in the tree making illegible drawings of the area. When he finally cleaned up and wandered home it was dark and he could hear the shouts of families and leaders getting everyone away from the burning flames.

He would have wandered closer to those groups if a snarl from a Nibelwolf made him aware he had been followed.

His instincts kicking in he remembered what Storm had told him if he was in trouble. He turned on his heel and ran away from the village, heading straight to the old ShinRa mansion.

Ever since Storm arrived he had more confidence in himself. He thought Storm was really cool, he did the coolest of things and he wasn't scared of anything!

Storm was his idol, his protector and was the first person to become his friend!

He loved it when Storm let him crawl onto his lap to draw or to ask for a story. Storm was hesitant before deciding to throw in exciting stories about monsters he never heard of. His mom said Storm was his uncle but he didn't believe that. Storm was his big brother, he protected him like one.

That's why he ran for the gates, tossing his bag over one shoulder and climbing the fence.

A wolf grabbed his ankle and he cried out in panic, kicking it off before tossing himself over and running for the door.

His relief was short lived, the Nibelwolves were snarling and attacking the gate. His blonde eyes were frantic as he rushed to the door, ignoring the overgrown garden and twisting the knob. Unfortunately it was locked tight.

He tried to remember what else Storm had mentioned. He took a few steps back, trying to ignore the snarls and look for the nearest window. He caught sight of the vines and quickly ran forward, only stopping to grasp a rock and chug it. The rock hit but didn't shatter the window. He still climbed, remembering the lecture Storm had instructed into his brain.

_'If it doesn't open then just whack it a few times with something hard. Be careful if you use your hand. It will hurt a lot.'_

He knew Storm talked from experience so he took it all to heart. Hanging on the ledge of the window he grabbed his bag and hit with all his might. A few more cracks spread. He tried again, sweat dribbling down his forehead when he heard the crash for the gates finally coming loose.

His heart quickened and with a short cry he smacked again, relieved it had shattered.

He wasted no time to shimmy in. He had a few cuts on his leg where he had tossed himself in but he didn't dwell on it. In the attempt of getting in he forgot how high the window was. He cried out, falling face first into the ground.

Everything hurt, tears prickled in his eyes. He sat up, holding it in as he gazed around. Storm told him the place was old and abandoned. That would explain the piles of dust he had thrown into the air on impact.  
He gingerly got to his feet, the silence from inside making his heart beat seem too loud. He could still hear the cries of the wolves trying to get in but he resisted to gaze at the place.

There was a large staircase with old furniture, some broken and tossed over. He got a little scared, remembering Tifa's stories about how a ghost lived there. Thankfully he remembered Storm's scoff and telling her it was nothing but nightmares.

He could deal with nightmares, they only happened when he was asleep and someone would always be able to wake him up.

He heard a crash from the door and whimpered.

_'Listen to me carefully, Cloud. If you're in trouble you can go to the ShinRa mansion for help. There's a staircase and on the top level is a safe. Here, remember this code in order to get in.'_

_'What? Storm that's too hard!'_

_'Shush. There should be a few things in there. Keys, Weapons and a red materia. Take it with you and get to the secret elevator in a few rooms over. Be careful, down stairs are a lot of monsters. I want you to run all the way through until you reach a certain door.'_

Cloud ran up the stairs without a second thought. The adrenaline running through his small frame made him forget about the burning on his fingers and ankle. He found the room with the safe and quickly punched in the code. He grabbed everything from inside and stuffed it into his bag before making a beeline for the elevator.

He heard another crash and tried to ignore his shaking hands when he found the elevator. It was hidden but Storm explained how to get into it.

He heard the scrapes of the wolves and pressed himself against the wall, quickly finding the buttons to head downwards.

He could do this. He could find the man Storm told him to find.

_'In that room is a friend of mine. He may look scary but don't be scared, okay? Ask him for help, tell him you really need his help. If he doesn't believe you and ignores you, tell him you know about Cresent's son. But only if he doesn't believe you.'_

Cloud didn't understand what it meant but those were the instructions he repeated every day for the past year since Storm got there.

When the elevator stopped, he shivered. It felt scary in the basement of the mansion then upstairs. There was a sort of fog on the floor, he tried to ignore it as he ran, remembering the mental map he had drawn for it. Cloud enjoyed making maps, it was fun finding new areas. He was glad for that when he ran down the dark hallways and towards the door Storm told him to go to.

He searched through the bag, praying the small cry he heard was in his imagination. He grabbed the key card, shoving it into the slot and nearly groaning at how slow the door was at opening. Storm had said to make sure he hurried because of that one reason.

Once it opened he raced inside and tripped on a weird box sort of object. He felt around, eyes squinting and straining against the darkness that made it near impossible to see. He lifted himself up, slowly realizing what the object was. It filled him with instant dread.

"A coffin?! He didn't say he was dead?!" The words escaped his mouth before he could help it. He yelped, running forward and ignoring his scary thoughts. He trusted Storm, trusted him that he would ignore his fear to move forward.

He reached the last coffin, the room was incredibly dark but he could make out just a few figures. He reached out, gently touching it and pushing forward with all his might. He was tiny so it took some time, he didn't know coffins were so heavy.

When he was halfway through a blur reached out and shoved the lid off.

Cloud blinked, moving back in surprise as someone sat up in the coffin.

_'He may look scary but don't be scared, okay?_'

Cloud swallowed the cry as the red glowing eyes stared straight through him in the dark.

"I-I n-need help." Cloud shrunk back, taking another step back and tumbling. He could make out a pale face in the darkness. It was a little weird that he was able to see only the outline of a face and glowing red eyes.

The man stared at him for a moment, sizing him up before he opened his mouth to speak. "Who are you?"

Cloud blinked, that was an easy question. Monsters didn't ask who people were. "Cloud Strife! My uncle Storm said you could help me."

The man gazed, eyes narrowing. "I don't know a Storm."

Cloud panicked, what had Storm said to mention of it didn't work? "But-but wolves chased me! I can't get home and a dragon attacked the village I don't know if mama is okay or-or."

He sniffled, forgetting what Storm had said. The fear settled in and he realized he was really scared. He wanted his mama, he wanted someone to tell him it was okay and to fix his cuts!

"Slow down." The man said stiffly. He stepped out, the red eyes the only thing Cloud could make out. They glowed, just like Storm's eyes.

He sniffled, the man shifting nervously as he stood before the boy. "I don't have a weapon. How many wolves are there?"

Cloud looked up, hopeful look in his eyes. He got up, wincing at the pain shooting through his ankle. He had zero pain tolerance. This really hurt!

However, he heard the weapon and blinked. "I have a weapon. I found it. I don't like it, I like Swords and Storm had a really pretty sword!"

He reached to his bag, grabbing the weird weapon and holding it out for the man. He reached out and grasped it, grunting in confirmation.

"Stay focused kid. What's out there?"

Cloud blinked, nodding his head furiously. He almost forgot! "Ah, a pack. They followed me after the dragon attacked. I couldn't go to the villagers. Storm will be too busy attacking the dragon."

The man nodded and opened up the large doors again.

He stiffened almost immediately.

Cloud didn't have a chance to ask why when the man turned and yanked him into an arm and jumping. They were airborne and the air was knocked out of Cloud at the harsh movement. There wasn't time to ask what when the man suddenly let Cloud down and turned sharply.

Cloud couldn't see a single thing, he wondered if he should be glad for it.

There was a feral growl before an inhuman growl that made his entire body tense.  
He heard a click, then the sound of gunfire. The spark lightened the room for a short moment as the male attacked something Cloud couldn't see.

"Mr?" Cloud said, softly as he pressed himself back against the coffin the man had propped him up against.

"Do you have any materia?" The hoarse voice replied, startling the child who quickly shuffled through his bag.

"I have one. I found it with the weapon." He squinted his eyes, holding out the tiny ball and nearly dropping it when another hand grasped it. He was really starting to hate the dark...

There was a growl and a cold hand grasped his arm, dragging him out of the way of something big. "That's not a Nibelwolf, is it?"

The man picked him up again, holding the boy against his side as he grunted. "No. It's my guard."

He took a breath, one that was audible to Cloud before he shot another bullet.

Instead of the spark the whole room glowed red.

He stared at the monster in front of them and tensed, then a flash of light appeared, a new monster taking form in front of them. Their large enemy had two sides, a purple side and an orange one. It looked grotesque and scary. Storm had said the safe had a guardian.

The next monster was almost human looking but the tusks and animal bottom half made Cloud's head churn.

Cloud decided against seeing any of it, he shut his eyes and buried his face into the man's side. The one person who wasn't large big and scary. Or growling.

There was the sounds of a fight, but even that didn't pull him away. Once everything fell silent the man shuffled him down onto his feet.

"Are you okay?"

Cloud sniffled, hesitating before tossing his arms around the man's legs and crying. He didn't care how the man froze up or tensed. He just wanted to go home and sleep. Everything hurt and his village was burning. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair!

"I wanna go home!"

The man gently rested a hand on Cloud's shoulder. He didn't say anything except for a soft 'okay.' That was all Cloud needed to stop crying and let himself be carried off by the strange man.

* * *

Storm despised the dragon. A few minutes into its attack and half the village was burned. Thankfully the response was quick and families were evacuating while some tried to put it out. Their lack of pluming and fire fighters was seen when the fire continued.

He managed to gain the attention of the dragon, which was the only good side when he was racing to dodge a swipe or a mouth. He managed to sprint off a few buildings, preparing himself for a limit break.  
He dropped down onto the house of some neighbor, the dragon snarling and thrashing as it hovered above him.

He positioned his blade, taking a deep breath before jumping off like a rocket. He felt the snap inside him of a limit break, the weapon glowed a brilliant blue before he released it on the dragons head.  
It screeched, throwing an arm at his side. He moved quickly, tossing his body over the dragon. He twisted his form and managed to land on the neck. Not wasting any time he raised his blade and dragged it into the neck.

Sadly it didn't cut smoothly. He managed only damaging the first layer, blood spurting everywhere as the dragon screeched, trying to throw him off. Thankfully it flew backwards and hit a few trees instead of the buildings. He continued to saw his way through until the dragon gave one more roar and collapsed.

Unfortunately it was over his own form.

He cursed, the blood of the dragon soaking onto his regular wear._ Gross, gross, gross!_

The voice screeching in his head sounded oddly like Yuffie.

He ignored it, kicking himself out from underneath and yanking his bloody blade with him. Dragon blood smelled terrible. A small part of him was amused that the blood didn't show in his hair.

Trying to get away from the dead beast he flicked the sword, watching the blood on the metal splash around. God, he hadn't meant for it to get that gory...

His mind quickly supplied the mild bruising and aches, he shoved those back in order to make his way back into town to help the villagers get into buildings and such. He was immediately intercepted by Snow. The young woman had been stupid to try and stay in town with the current chaos.

"Storm!" She exclaimed, distraught as she eyed his bloody form. "Oh don't you do that!" She sobbed, looking like she wanted to grab him into a hug but thought better of it after seeing his sorry state.

"I'm fine." He muttered, clipped before attempting to wipe his blade off with his jeans. Might as well, right?

"Storm." She reached out, grabbing his arm in panic. He paused, narrowing his eyes at her as sign to go on. "Cloud never came back. I-I don't know if he followed the villagers into the forest or-or"

Cloud.

He paled, grabbing her and dragging her towards the woods where a bunch of others were staying. The town wasn't that large and Lockhart was doing a good job in managing to keep his cool. He could see Tifa in the back, cuddling with her mother. Other men were helping put out the fires. Luckily no one was hurt, a few injuries but nothing serious.

He tried not to look back at the town, seeing the flames was already getting to him. The dragon was a distraction, it kept him moving and focused. It was different now that he could see faces that should be dead and a town in flames-_Sephiroth, how dare you?! How dare you?!_

Storm stumbled, gripping Snow a little tighter. It was the first time he ever staggered since being in her presence. "Stay here. I'm going to look for Cloud."

He didn't let her say more. He moved quickly, running past the people in order to get himself more room to breathe.

Thankfully none of the people who had escaped into the forest were hurt. They stayed near the edges and were starting to make their way closer again.

His eyes flickered around, where would Cloud be? No doubt the kid would have been on his way home by now. Had he run into something on the way?

His heart jumped into a throat, taking off in a jog, slightly awkward with the tight grip he had on his blade. They both needed a thorough cleaning but right now he could care less. He promised to keep Cloud safe. How could he have made another stupid promise?! Stupid! Stupid!

He took a heavy breath, his chest tightening to the point where it hurt. He ran down the trail, ignoring the whispers of villagers coming closer.

On a split decision he started to run down the path to ShinRa manor. He felt the nausea returning from the sight of the building.

He didn't ponder on it, the crashed in gates made it clear some sort of monster had fallen in. He cursed to himself, vocabulary as colorful as Cid's.

He reached the front door that was caved in from whatever animal had been around. He barely had time to register why Cloud would be in there when he heard the familiar click of a gun and hopped forward, hands splayed to catch himself in a roll.

His eyes quickly tore through the dark. His movements froze at the person standing on the stairs. He recognized the cape anywhere, his hair was as messy as always, blood red eyes glaring at where Storm stood.

He felt the pulse of mako in his veins at the sharp emotions coursing through him.

_'Cloud!'_

Damnit, _Vince._

His eyes flickered over the silhouette barely realizing he was loading another barrel of bullets. Choked up he couldn't even speak, a jagged feeling spurred in his chest at the thought of Vincent out to kill him. It was terrifying and a cynical piece of him was laughing at the bitterness of it all.

Thrown back in time, this wasn't his Vincent, this wasn't his time anymore. All of those relationships were gone. What was he hoping to accomplish. What_. Whatwhatwhat_-

_'An uncle? Storm's like a big brother.'_

He snapped to reality, raising the blade and deflecting the bullet, he jumped up the steps, unhooking a blade from first Tsuguri and quickly attacking Vincent, prepared to see the barrel of the gun. He was surprised the man pulled back instead of moving forward.

It wasn't his time but he had a purpose in this time as well. Keeping Cloud safe and making sure the events from the past never occurred. However, he also realized the tiny frame Vincent was holding.  
The tiny frame he had been protecting.

He immediately dropped his guard, seeing Vincent tense up. "Cloud."

The little figure snapped his head up. He probably couldn't see in the dark but that was fine. Storm could see the dirty child and felt relief spread through him.

It wasn't the same Vincent but at the same time it was. Vincent had protected Cloud, it was reassuring deep in his heart.

The child squirmed, a sob leaving his throat when he bolted from Vincent's arms into Storm's waiting ones. "Storm! I'm scared!"

The brunet kneeled, dropping his blades in order to console the small child. No one spoke for a while; Storm assessing where on earth he was going to go from here.

Vincent was still staring at him in a way that was obvious he wanted answers. Storm released Cloud, clicking his blade together again before securing it into his harness.

"Let's head back. You too." He added, looking over at the dark red eyes in the darkness.

Storm had answers, Vincent followed for that one reason.

* * *

**And that is literally all I have for this series. What I imagined to happen later was for Cloud and Vincent to take care of Cloud, Tifa, Zack, and Aerith by accident. Things like Tifa being a stowaway and Zack just demanding to be in their presence. As for Aerith it would just be an accident and they end up having to protect her. I have thoughts of this becoming the new terrorist group called Strife Delivery service or SV Delivery service. Strife Daycare service lol. Vincent and Cloud are hardass fighters who challenge Shinra and take on the elite generals. Cloud manages to become a good sneaky turk, the younger one, and sneaks his way up the system. That's just basic outline and no actual plot besides small things. Hope you enjoyed this. **


	5. Universe-can't-have-two-Clouds

**A/N: This is the special surprise. I will be posting the first piece since I am actually still working on this idea. Someone gave it to me in a review and it actually sparked my interest enough. Thank you CeilingCat Faves! Leave me your comments, I really do enjoy being able to read them and sort through new ideas in my head. So far this piece of work is getting to me but sadly, I might not be able to finish it. Read their review for the whole plot I had been given. The first few pieces would be Denzel Centric. **

**Notice: On the previous chapter where people wanted me to continue I don't really have it in me to write everything out. But I have been thinking of writing out choppy scenes I had planned out in my head to help please you. I can tell a lot of you liked the idea of the whole anti shinra group being kids being taken in by Cloud and Vincent. Then with young Cloud becoming a Turk for the group as well. Well I will try my best to get some inspiration out for that.**

**Idea four: Due to Universe-can't-have-two-Clouds Reasons, Cloud gets turned into a girl (CeilingCat Faves).**

**Pairings: Cloud/Vincent ; Young!Cloud/Sephiroth ; nothing is decided besides Cloud/Vince**

* * *

The first thing to register was the thick pounding in his head. He groaned, trying to find out which parts of his body were what.

He blinked his eyes, cringing at the bright light of the sun. Damn, that hurt. With one more despairing moan he rested his arm across his eyes, taking in calming breaths.

What the hell had happened?

He pieced back his memory slowly, mainly because the headache was making it impossible to think. He became clear of two things. It was hot as shit and the asshole little rocks were biting into his flesh.

Okay, so he was out in the open, he was okay with that.

Then the memories snapped into place and he sat up instantly. Right, he had been traveling with Cloud. Cloud had been uncomfortable for a few days before proposing they make a trip to the city of the ancients. He had jumped at the idea, Cloud was gone way too much for his liking. Tifa could only pacify him with jobs at the bar for so long.

Plus Marlene was so totally jealous Cloud hadn't invited her to go along. He felt childish for all of two seconds before deciding he deserved the chance and yeah, good bye flower girl!

And then the trip fell apart.

To be totally fair Cloud had warned him that he had terrible luck. He just didn't think the bad luck was that bad.

Squinting away the blur in his eyes he looked around for where Cloud could be. They had been ambushed and Cloud had attempted to protect him while being on Fenrir. Then all he could remember was pure white and pain.

That was fine, he felt alright and no danger from-

Oh god _no_, Cloud was going to be so _pissed_.

Not too far from him was Fenrir; a beautiful dent in her side with a rather large scratch across her glossy black paint. He felt his stomach drop, god he prayed they never found those monsters. Lord knows how ticked off Cloud would be.

However, his thoughts halted with a blaring stop as he saw the mound of blond spikes.

"Cloud!" He got to his feet, stumbling only just a bit before approaching his father figure. His throat clenched up in fear and worry. Not to mention that small piece of guilt worming its way up his gut.

The older male was shivering and breathing heavily, worry won out over guilt as Denzel quickly reached out to grasp his shoulders and push him onto his back.  
Cloud was not conscious but breathing harshly and his skin was burning at the touch. Denzel fussed for a moment, looking at Fenrir in order to grab the first aid kit and the few supplies they always carried.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back." He quickly raced over to the bike, picking it up before messing with the compartment and grabbing the small white box. He remembered when Tifa had forced Cloud to take it with him.

Inside was a number of bandages and band aids along with a few cure and restore materia's. On close inspection it also had an assortment of status effect antidotes. He would have laughed at the rather large amount of maidens kisses if he wasn't insanely panicked.

Kneeling down by Cloud again he fussed with the items, he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to use.

"Oh Gaia. Come on." He hissed to himself, leaning over Cloud's still form to grasp the PHS in his pocket.

And then he froze.

He stared at Cloud intently, the gears in his mind starting to turn.

Okay. Okay. Okay _what_?

He grabbed he phone and jerked back. He took notice of the slight way Cloud's hair had grown out, it fit just around his shoulders and a few of his normal spikes dropped.

That was fine but... Cloud's uniform _never_ fit like that. The zip up turtle neck was strangely tight around his chest and Denzel flushed, fumbling with the PHS before falling back on his ass.

_Cloud...?_

He flipped open the phone, breathing carefully before dialing the one number he knew could deal with what was going on. It rang twice and answered.

_"Sorry. The number you have reached is no longer available. Please make sure you have dialed the number correctly and try again. If your problem persists please contact Shinra's communications department."_

Denzel stared blankly, his mind turning and his heart ramming in his chest.

_Shitshitshitshitshitshit._

He looked at the cellphone, dialing another number_. "Sorry. The number you have reached is no longer available. Please make sure you have dialed the number correctly and try again. If your problem persists please contact Shinra's communications department."_

He pulled back the phone, staring at it like it had suddenly stabbed a knife in his back. Hell, he probably would have preferred the knife.

His mind suddenly stopped, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Did they just say ShinRa? Weren't the telephone lines owned by the WRO? Reeve was the one who passed out the PHS's nowadays. Cloud had gotten a few spares after running through his rather quickly.  
ShinRa was barely a part of anything!

He decided to try one more number, utterly confused.

This time it did pick up. But not by someone he knew.

"Hello?" It was a feminine voice and he freaked.

He fumbled a bit, eyes gazing at Cloud in worry. "Er, uh, hi. Is Barret there?"

There was silence. "Sorry, you have the wrong number."

And then the line went dead.

He shut the phone, trying to process and calm himself down. He took another look around, sadly only the dry and dead landscape greeted him. He wasn't sure what had happened for all the numbers to change, it confused him.

He looked behind towards Fenrir and saw something he never expected.

ShinRa headquarters and Midgar.

He felt like he had been sucker punched.

"Oh. Oh no. Ohnononono." He sucked in a breath, feeling the panic start to sink in.

Was this really actually happening?

Though it made sense for all the numbers to have failed. Tifa and Vincent didn't have the numbers until later. Heck, Vincent didn't even have a cellphone until a few years back. Or was it forward?

Shit, he didn't even want to wrap his head around it. Cloud was sick and _different_ and Denzel had no idea what he was supposed to do.

He had some Gil, Cloud had saved up for the trip so Denzel had that to fall back on.

"Okay, okay, calm down." He breathed the words to himself, closing his eyes and rubbing a hand on his forehead. He had to keep a level head in situations like this. Vincent always said it was smart to take things slowly and break them apart with a clear mind. You reacted better to situations that way.  
He settled for the things he could do now.

Cloud was out for the count and Denzel knew the route from Edge to Junon well enough. Though he supposed it would be near impossible to do it at the moment. Not to mention the fact that he wasn't sure if the routes stayed the same as before. Wandering into Midgar was another risk he wasn't going to take, he didn't have ID's for the both of them and he was pretty sure his age would do him more harm than good.

He clenched his hand into a tight fist, breathing in deeply before opening his eyes. "First things first, finding a place for you to rest up."

Then...

"Vincent?" He mumbled, thinking back on where the ex-Turk was. Tifa had said they picked up Vincent on their travels, he was asleep in a coffin. Where...?

"Nibelheim?" He muttered, humming as the thoughts sorted themselves and making a makeshift plan.  
Vincent was a strong ally, Denzel would do anything to have the older guy help him out.

But according to Cloud, and even Vincent himself, the man was wrapped up in his whole sin drama. He would have to act carefully. He didn't know the whole story and he wasn't sure how Cloud-

Oh right.

He still had the whole Cloud isn't actually Cloud thing going.

He peeked at his father (?) figure, flushing bright red as he reached out to grasp the zipper on the turtle neck and zipping it up.

Content he grabbed a cure from the first aid kit, attached it to the extra bracer and quickly cast it over the other.

He was silently glad for the lessons from Nanaki.  
He kept the bracer on, attaching the restore on to it in case something was to happen. He still had to be mindful of their surroundings. He closed the first aid kit leaving Cloud who was breathing a little easier to stash it back into its compartment space.

Denzel could not ride Fenrir. Fenrir was specially made for Cloud, everyone knew that. He was still at a loss at how exactly he was going to work with Fenrir for the trip but decided he would use it to the best of his ability.

Next he grabbed Cloud's sword that had went flying during the attack. That took more time, not to mention all the effort he threw into getting the hollow blade into its proper hoister.

Looking through the blades he found the small one stored away for him. He felt a small smile on his lips at that, Cloud had been planning to teach him some more on the trip. He grabbed one of the harnesses and quickly attached it before sliding the blade into place.

Satisfied he approached his father (mother?), hefting an arm over his shoulder. He nearly toppled over at the weight. The height difference made it difficult but he was able to drag Cloud over to the bike and drape his form over it. Satisfied he kicked off the brake and wrapped one arm across Cloud's waist to steady the unconscious male (female?).

Denzel stared and groaned at the situation.

Not to mention the way Cloud's waist suddenly felt. Oh, Cloud was not going to be happy about this. Though, looking at the way things happened Denzel could understand and accept. After everything that happened he doubted Cloud suddenly being a girl was the worst that could have happened. Cloud was a total mother hen to the group.

He remembered the times when Cloud would actually scold the other members when they wandered into the bar beat up. On more than one occasion Cloud had kicked Reno out and threatened the Turks who dare set foot in the bar.

He also stayed up late for Marlene when they were younger. Denzel remembered waking up with Cloud by his bedside, fast asleep.

Cloud wasn't perfect but he tried and took care of those around him without a second thought.

But he really did have terrible damn luck.

Deciding to not worry about it he led his father turned mother down the rocky trails, heading in the common direction for Junon.

* * *

Junon was a town he had been to at least once. Vincent, the saint, had taken them out shortly after his tenth birthday with the permission of Cloud and Tifa.

The trip had been cut short due to Marlene's sudden panic attack but it was enough for Denzel to get the feel of the town.

Junon was the major transportation center and Denzel had just enough to get them two tickets to costa de sol.

From there he would have to travel by foot to Nibelheim. Still confused he had purchased a map, Cloud still fast asleep on top of Fenrir.

From the looks of it ShinRa still had major operations in Junon and by passing the security would be tricky. Thankfully he remembered most of the lessons given to him and put them to work. Before he could wander off he paid for a hotel room. He used his younger looks and completely out of it Cloud to earn pity from the innkeeper. Then, he hid Fenrir in an alley not too far away. If Fenrir got stolen he could kiss his ass goodbye.

He got Cloud laying down in bed before he collapsed himself. Cloud was doing better but was extremely delirious. Denzel wasn't exactly sure what had happened to make the blonde that way but he knew it wasn't normal.

His fever fluctuated and he found himself wishing for Tifa and Marlene again. Even if he was scared with how this had even happened he knew he had to pull himself together for Cloud. Not to mention his own safety.

Thinking on it clearly he could safely assume that a lot of the tragic events had yet to happen.

The precious Aerith was still alive as was the cool general Sephiroth.

That meant so was Jenova. That made him shiver, he was still painfully aware of the Jenova cells in his own body. His eyes still had that light blue glow, he had to be careful not to be noticed by ShinRa and such.

He shook his head from the thoughts, getting up to grab a basin of water and tend to Cloud's fever.  
It was later in the night when Cloud woke up for the first time.

He was immediately on his feet, dabbing the blonde's forehead in an attempt to lessen his pain. Cloud's eyes flickered open, seeming to register Denzel's form standing over him.

"Denzel...?" Cloud slurred it, eyes staring around the dimly lit room in obvious confusion.

Denzel grabbed the blonde's shoulder to stop him from trying to rise. "Yeah, it's me. You've been out of it for a few days. Scared me."

The blue green eyes stared fuzzily for a few slow minutes before he attempted to move. He shot up, tilting to one side as he started to hack out his lungs.

Denzel freaked, that was completely new. Deciding there wasn't much to do he rubbed the blonde's back, eyes flickering to the glass of water on the night stand. Cloud fumbled for the zipper on his shirt, he was probably feeling the heat.

Denzel froze up, wondering how exactly this was going to go down. It would end in surprised silence or a hole in the hotel wall.

Denzel had the decency to look away when Cloud ripped the zipper down. There was a tense silence, panicked breaths filling the air.

"Denzel. What's on my chest?"

He let out a breathless laugh, reaching forward and tugging for Cloud to release the zipper. "Go to sleep, Cloud. You're really sick."

Thankfully the blonde didn't fight him and collapsed on the bed in a panicked frenzy. Denzel counted that as a win considering no damage was done to their surroundings.

The next morning the brown haired teen nearly freaked when he realized Cloud had coughed up blood. Deciding not to worry about it for now he tucked his role model in and headed out for the day.

Gil in his pockets, sword on his back he made his way down to the docks.

He had the tickets but needed to find a way to get Fenrir on board. Leaning against the railing he watched a group of Sailors load cargo onto the boat leaving for the day. It was now or never.

Fighting off the nerves he listened in on their conversation, aware of the sun on his back and the glow in his eyes.

"I'm tellin ya! ShinRa hasn't sent us a dime in getting rid of the monsters. I heard the sea critters stole a bunch of supplies last night. Good for nothing rich monkeys." A burly man exclaimed, hoisting a box onto another crate. They were loaded onto a net where it would then be carried onto the boat.

Denzel grimaced just a bit, turning his gaze over to the large ShinRa cannon that loomed over the town. The ShinRa base was a pretty large reminder of how strong it was in this time frame.

"Won't even heal the sick! I tell ya, they're asking to get angry mobs."

They continued their anti ShinRa banter and Denzel was just about certain he could twist things in his own way when a man came tumbling down the dock.

"Brian! Brian! There's a situation down by the beach!" There was a flurry of movement but he caught sight of the look of dread on the sailors face as the raced towards the beach.

There was a crowd and he noticed a few infantry men trying to stem the flow. The sailor crashed onto the scene, screeching for his wife.

He had heard Junon had a lot of trouble with mutated creatures. The reactor was just below the ocean if he remembered right, this meant the beginning of mutated monsters around the world. Cloud and Tifa were seasoned fighters that things like this weren't a threat. Of course in Edge there had never been a lot of people who could fight correctly.

"Call a doctor!"

Denzel hesitated, looked down at his bracer and hummed to himself. Well, if the opportunity presented itself, right? Cloud always said if you have the chance take it.

He darted through the crowd, emerging by the sailor's side. Years of fighting with Vincent and Cloud prepared him for the blood but he still paled.

He checked the materia on his bracer, lifting his hand and calling on a restore. It left him a little winded and shaky but he was glad the woman in the sailors arms was no longer bleeding to death. The sailor paused, looking at him in disbelief before thanking the hell out of him.

"Oh god kid, I don't know how to thank ya. Oh Abby! Abigail!"

He gave a small smile, eyes narrowed on the crowd rushing and bustling around. The woman had stirred, stained in blood but as conscious as she was gonna get.

Denzel took the chance. "It's no problem."

He cast another cure on the woman for just in case situations and had to fight off the headache. The drain on his MP was affecting him more then he expected. "My name is Denzel."

"Anything ya want, Denzel, I'll do it."

Denzel kept up a pleasant smile because hey, that was the exact wording he wanted. He nodded, melting into the crowd as the man led his wife away to get properly checked over.

Denzel went back to the hotel feeling pleased with himself.

* * *

Cloud was doing better the next time he woke up. He didn't seem that far gone and made an attempt to listen to Denzel's words.

"I'm gonna get us to Vincent, okay?"

Cloud nodded weakly, confused but willing. Denzel decided now wasn't the time to tell him they were stuck in the past, he didn't want another episode.

While Cloud rested, seemingly too out of it to notice his new body changes, Denzel took the chance to escape and get back to the docks in search of his sailor. He was spotted rather quickly as the man had stopped all of his work to run over to him, slapping him on the back and thanking him. He even got his comrades to join in on the celebration and thanks.

Perfect.

"You new to Junon, right?" The man asked, taking off his hat to wipe the sweat off his forehead. The group was seated alongside the dock, Denzel somewhere in the middle of the group that was arguing and joking.

"Yeah, I'm heading down to Costa de Sol with my mom." He knew Cloud would be pissed at being a mom but Denzel didn't really have any problems with it. "Gonna go meet up with my dad in Rocket Town."

The man hummed in understanding. "That's a ways ta go. Heading out to North Corel?"

Denzel paused, scratching his neck nervously. "Don't really know. My mom's sick, visiting family in Kalm before she collapsed on the way back. I just need to get to my dad."

He was more determined at the end of his sentence but knew what the man would be seeing in his little story. A kid leading his sick mom across the world to visit his father. A kid who managed to take the time and heal another person when his mama was too ill to move.

_'Pity works great sometimes.'_ Reno had grumbled one time. Denzel realized how easy it was to apply that here.

"That's some trip to make. You aren't thinking of headin on foot are ya?"

_Thank you Gaia_.

"Well I have my mom's bike but they charge extra to transport it on the ferry. We had that which made it easier if she got sick and couldn't walk. But with how much it's gonna cost us I got no choice but to walk." He winced to add to the effect of losing all of his Gil.

To be fair they charged way too much to transport the bike. If Denzel paid the fee he wouldn't have anything for supplies and food.

The man slammed a hand on his back, making him nearly face plant into the water. "Don't ya worry about a thing! We'll take your bike for free! It's the least we can do for ya and your ma!"

Denzel was sure Reno would be proud of him.


	6. Fenrir

**A/N: Inspired by an old song I listened to when I was traveling with my brother to a stupid class assignment. Tokyo Drift by the Teriyaki Boys? Lol, I don't know, the one from Fast and Furious.**

**Cause hey, we all know a guy on a motorcycle is sexy as hell. Final Fantasy boys on motorcycles? Take me now baby.**

**Idea number five: Cloud Strife, leader of the riders of Avalanche, gets challenged to a duel by the silver rider.**

**Pairings: Cloud/Tifa ; Zack/Aerith ; Cloud/Tifa/Sephiroth**

* * *

Tifa raised an eyebrow at the male in front of her. She tilted her head delicately, wine red eyes examining him from head to toe.

He was dressed in the usual Shinra clothes, a pair of goggles around his neck with black hair spiking out in every single direction. He was well built, she would give him that, but the goofy smile on his face was what made her do a double take.

On his back was a large blade that quickly led her to believe what class he was in Shinra.

"Come again?" She asked cheekily, leaning against the counter in a relaxed position. Across one of her shoulders was the wet rag she had been using to wipe off the counter top of the bar. She was dressed in her usual outfit, her leather black tee that covered up cleavage but fit snuggly against the swells of her breasts. Her hair was long, falling down her back and tied at the end. Her cargo pants were loose fitting with a pair of converse completing her casual look. She didn't look like much but she held a steady iron fist in the establishment. She made all of Shinra's lackeys think twice before causing trouble.

His baby blue eyes flashed in amusement, he crossed his bulky arms across his chest before leaning forward again. "I've been hearing of the leader of Avalanche breaking Shinra's world record. Actually, Sephiroth's world record. Any chance to set up a race between the both of them?"

Tifa smirked, rising up to her height and grabbing the rag on her shoulder, slamming it against the counter top. "Oh? Is he upset that he isn't the best around? Sorry, boss man doesn't take on challenges unless they have something he wants. Come back with a better deal and we'll talk."

She dismissed him and was greatly amused he didn't budge. Well, Shinra was oddly determined. She left him to tend to a few other customer's wine eyes following him as he wandered around, asking questions. She grabbed her PHS from her pocket, typing in a few words before wandering back to restock the olives.

"YO! Teff!" She paused, turning to the figure emerging from the door. Cid Highwind grinned, putting out his cigarette and wandering to the front of the bar. It was mostly full as the night progressed and she slowly realized a lot of her regulars were mixing with the Shinra riders.

In a world based on who can race the best it was good to get in good with Shinra. But with Avalanche started to make a comeback her bar was busy. Seventh Heaven was the base of racing, just short of the Gold Saucer and hidden on the edges of Midgar. Avalanche was competition and with their leader besting Sephiroth in the world race… well Shinra was going to do everything to get them under their thumb again.

"Where's Spike? I ran into Vincent, the vampire wants another mission." He grinned when Tifa snapped open a bottle of beer for him.

"He won't be back till later tonight. You aren't the first guy trying to find him." She made a motion with her chin, reaching down to grab the ashtray she knew she would need for their chain smoker.

Cid snorted in amusement. Reaching to the goggles around his head for a pack of cigarettes. Looking around the room riders were all scattered. Most were seen with the new goggles of Shinra, only those who belonged to Avalanche had the specialty made by Cid.

"I told the brat this would happen. Did he listen? Course not! Fucking idiot is a magnet for fucking trouble." He took a swipe from the beer bottle before Tifa went around the bar.

Time swiftly passed with more Avalanche members wandering in and out. Barret and his little girl Marlene wandered upstairs for the night. Yuffie emerged with the bright smile of Aerith before they disappeared upstairs as well. Riders all filed out and soon the same shinra rider from earlier was sitting at the counter, grinning at her.

Cid, who had gotten drunk, was snorting up a curse storm of proportions before Tifa got up and threw him upstairs.

"You're pretty dedicated." Tifa remarked when everyone was gone and the closed sign was turned. The rider grinned, eyes shining in the bright Mako that pulsed in a riders veins. Mako had begun to emerge in human systems and soon only those with Mako could participate in the races.

She flipped open her PHS, smiling at the message she received. She wandered around to pick up empty glasses, waiting for him to speak. "I have to be. Seph is one pissed off kitten when he doesn't get his way."

It was extremely amusing she wasn't sure she would be able to help herself. "Awww, did he get thrown off his throne?"

He didn't seem offended. He merely laughed at her response. He looked at her, holding out a hand. "Zack Fair, Shinra rider first class. Nice to meet you."

She took his hand, smirking. "Tifa Lockhart. Avalanche head."

He raised an eyebrow at the title. She ignored it in favor of wandering back behind the counter. Avalanche head meant she was second in command of the group. Cloud had appointed the position to her after he made leader. Without her, he admitted he would have given up any chance in becoming a rider.

Speaking of the devil… A large rumble filed the air, startling Zack who recognized it as a bike.

"Sadly, I can't make any decisions without the leader. He doesn't like that kind of thing, even if it's me." The engine cut off and she brushed a few strands of her hair back, awaiting for their awkward leader to emerge. She knew the suspense was killing the excited rider.

The door opened and a lean male wandered in. He was dressed in black, a turtle neck vest with an assortment of belts strapped across his chest. His cargo pants had a few belts holding a sort of cape against his hip. His left arm was covered, the crest of a wolf attached to his shoulder cover. He looked up, a pair of goggles covering his eyes. What was most noticeable was the blonde spikes sticking up in every direction.

His blank expression was broken by the smirk. "Oh wow, that was quicker than I thought."

Tifa smiled, walking around the counter to take a seat by the bar. Zack had fallen quiet, almost like he didn't believe the short blonde male was really the one who broke the record. Then again it was impossible to fake the records for the world races, it was the basis of the world.

He stopped, reaching to take off the assortment of blades he had attached to his body. Tifa grinned, looking back to Zack. "Well, here he is, leader of Avalanche. Now, what do you have to offer?"

Cloud took a seat in between them, holding out a hand. "Cloud Strife. What do you want?"

Zack paused, taking the hand in his own. "Zack Fair, I want to set up a race between you and Seph. Think it could happen?"

Cloud hummed to himself, reaching up to grasp his goggles. "Sephiroth, Shinra's best first class wants to race against Avalanche? I'll do it. I have rules though."

He hung the goggles around his neck, brushing blonde bangs away from his face. Tifa stared at his bright blue eyes, getting up to grab both of the riders a drink.

"First off, Avalanche hosts the event. We get the profit from the stadium as well. We'll split with Shinra but only with the authority of Gold Saucer. Second, our ancient gets free reign in how the match is held."

Tifa hummed, nodding in agreement when Cloud had looked at her quickly. Aerith, the special little saint, was an ancient and had full reign on all matches concerning Avalanche. She summoned up the terrain and set up the rules much like a referee. Ancients were very rare and most times a summoning crystal was used to make up a race. Thankfully Aerith was the last Ancient still alive and under Avalanche strict protection.

"Third, no matter who wins Shinra can't blotch the results. Or the video feed."

That made Tifa turn. Video feed was something that never happened on a race. At least when it concerned Avalanche. Cloud must be serious in gaining the groups footing in the riding universe.

Zack grinned, putting on his goggles. "Alright, I think I can accept all that. One thing that'll probably be asked, asking you Ancient to help out in Shinra races. Wutai is another current-"

"Nope, we have no problem with Wutai. It's up to her if she wants to aid Shinra, otherwise no fighting with Wutai."

Plus Wutai's princess was upstairs under Cloud's rule. Well…

"Tef, Get his number. I'm heading up to talk to her."

Tifa nodded, reaching forward to pass over a small slip of paper and turning to Zack for the rest of the information. The large man grinned.

"For a minute I thought your leader was a Chocobo."

Sadly, Tifa couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped her.

* * *

Tifa stretched her body, biker skirt and short tee holding close to her skin. Cloud, leaning against Fenrir, lifted a hand for her to place her foot on to stretch. He seemed casual despite this race being one of the most important races in the world.

Turning she saw Aerith under the arm of the rider that made the deal for the race. Cloud looked upset about it but didn't say anything, what could he say? Aerith would sooner make him eat his own words before admitting she fell in love with the enemy. Seriously, they left them alone for all of five minutes and the rider had already made his move.

The other Avalanche members were scattered, Yuffie had been bugging Vincent and Cid and Barret was out with Marlene elsewhere. Tifa nodded, finishing up the loosening of her muscles and waiting for Shinra to bring in it's rider.

When Sephiroth appeared the crowd roared, no one believed the small blonde haired rider was gonna stand a chance. Tifa wanted to laugh at how absurd this whole thing was.

Cloud suddenly grabbed her hand, dragging her closer to Fenrir when the silver rider appeared. His green cat eyes were staring at Tifa, looking her up and down carefully before doing the same to Cloud.

It made her blush just a bit.

Tifa took her spot in front of both of the bikes, holding the two flags. She made sure the bikes were lined up perfectly and they both took their spots.

Tifa nodded, smiling at Cloud before raising her hands, turning to face the track.

"Ready… set.. GO!"

There was a flash of green, the terrain changing and the bikes took off, sending her hair flying everywhere.

Aerith was somewhere behind her, hands clasped as she concentrated on keeping the course steady.

Needless to say, the world was changed forever when Cloud and Fenrir zipped ahead of Sephiroth, beating him fair and square.

* * *

After the race Tifa tossed her arms around the leader's neck, laughing in happiness.

Cloud grinned, holding her thin waist close as she pulled back and smashed their lips together.

Avalanche was now a part of the racing legends and it brought a swell of joy into his chest. They pulled apart in time for Sephiroth to appear, the man was tearing his goggles off in complete disbelief. Cloud did the same, unable to help the smirk that appeared on his flushed face.

He bristled a bit at the way the silver riders eyes strayed to the swell on Tifa's chest when she had pulled away and pressed against his arm.

"You are definitely a formidable opponent." He twisted his eyes back on Cloud, taking in his form. "I certainly did not expect it."

"Good race. Definitely up for another one if you feel like it." And Cloud as honest. No one had ever gotten that close to him before, it was amazing. It was exhilarating and if Sephiroth wanted another shot he would give it.

The only sign of the man's excitement was the quirk of his lips. "That would be appreciated."

* * *

**ANy comments? Concerns? Leave a review, seriously pieced together in like an hour lol.**


	7. Chosen Champion

**A/N: KHR and FFVII? Yeah, not exactly the best combination. However, what if you throw in the main aspect of the ten year bazooka? Oh. Yes my dear readers. Prepare yourself for more pointless time travel bunnies. At least this one doesn't have an actual plot. Just a one shot I thought of when I was reading through the different Fanfictions on the site. **

**To those of you who don't know what Katekyo Hitman reborn is or what the ten year bazooka is, here's a brief description. Anyone who is shot by the bazooka gets replaced by their ten year's older self. It usually only lasts ten minutes unless the bazooka malfunctions. For this story it will be ten minutes.**

**There are two ways this can go. Have someone from the future be brought back or have the people from the past accidentally get thrown into the future. I have two ideas for this but I will be doing the first one instead of the second. Leave me reviews if you like the idea or anything previous to this chapter.**

**Summary: The cadet's for Solider get a rather upsetting surprise in the form of Cloud Strife.**

* * *

Zack Fair wanted to know why they put him on babysitting duty. He was a second class Soldier, he should be out fighting bad guys and stopping plans to end the world. And by end the world he meant terrorists attempting to destroy Shinra. (But nooooooo, only the turks got to do that. Totally unfair in his mind.)

He didn't have any problems with the Cadet's. They were rather cute in the weird, I got big dreams and am very full of myself sort of way. Angeal always said he enjoyed teaching, it was the main reason Zack had a mentor. One of the only Cadets to have gotten an older Soldier as a mentor.

So for the first few days of class he attended with vigor. He taught and he instructed them just like how Angeal did. He quickly assessed their strengths and reported them to their other instructors. It was during these teachings he came across a rather sad cadet. A cadet that looked at him with a sort of hope in his eyes.

Now, Zack wasn't a jerk. Far from it, he was a total people person. But for some reason his stomach tightened with that small cadet who looked barely over 12. He had obviously by passed a few age restrictions. The kid had blonde spikes that stuck out all over the place. Zack safely assumed he was the runt of litter with no chance of ever making the program.

Sure, he encouraged dreams but this kid was a poor example. He wasn't very good at close combat and his strength was dangerously low. Sure, he had a stubborn streak, seen by how he attended class every day and ignored the constant jeering of his classmates, but that determination could only take you so far.

He just really didn't want to get close to a kid destined for failure. Yeah, it was mean ignoring the poor kid but Zack felt guilty enough as it was. It was two months in when the kid finally got the message, glared back at Zack with that fierce determination, telling him he was gonna make it. Zack felt awkward through class because of it.

Hitting the three month mark, the cadet class was attempting to learn the different weapons that Shinra owned. Zack had stepped off to the side by the other instructors while their main weapon tech explained to the students the different weapons.

He did not expect the legendary trio to suddenly come into his classroom.

"Angeal? Why do you have puppies following you?"

His mentor scowled in irriation, Sephiroth and Genesis bickering behind him about something mundane.

"Oh, that's rich coming from you." Genesis snapped back, sauntering in and gazing at the class that had frozen up because of the presence of the great firsts. Sephiroth was the first one to speak. "I have reason to be here. Shinra asked for a first… motivational speaker. Angeal came for his student and well… the other one isn't worth anyones concern."

Genesis bristled like a cat and Zack attempted to smoother his laughter. Angeal got the teacher moving again and the class attempted to concentrate again. Zack's eyes strayed to the blonde cadet who was scribbling in his notebook, a flush on his cheeks. A few of his fellow cadets were sneering at him and Zack felt that familiar guilty ache because he was letting this happen. The kid just wasn't cut out for this kind of life.

As if his day couldn't get worse, the kids started examining the items. They had clear intentions not to touch anything but after a while the teacher gave in and were only allowed to touch under strict supervision.

What happened next was a blur. Zack had been busy trying to ignore Genesis' scathing remarks and Sephiroth's dry replies that he missed the tiny confrontation between the cadets. They were inspecting the purple bazooka Scarlet had been so proud of, even if it was useless during battle. The ten year bazooka. It was under strict no touching, the side effects were still not known very well. One of the cadets had grabbed the thing and without realizing they had set off.

Sephiroth had let out a stern sound and the room stopped. Zack turned and caught the startled gaze of the blonde weak cadet before he was engulfed in pink.

Silence erupted immediately before the sound of coughing caught their eyes. Zack was on guard immediately. They weren't sure if the thing worked, the concept of replacing yourself from someone ten years in the future was a stretch. The most common event to happen after being struck was nothing. It was shortly after that, that people discovered if you didn't have someone to come back for those ten minutes you were dead ten years in the future.

It was a frightening thought.

The smoke was beginning to clear and Zack was shocked at the lean figure appearing. The blonde cadet-Cloud Strife- was definitely a sight to behold. He was dressed in all black, a weird sort of version of the Soldier uniform with a few harnesses and braces wrapped around his form. Zack realized the blonde had a hand on his back, holding the handle for his blade.

Oh wait, blades. From this vantage point he realized Cloud was carrying more than one blade. There was a jingle in his step, body crouched down just slightly in a battle ready position. Covering his left arm was a sleeve, a shoulder brace with the insignia of a wolf. His hair was significantly shorter, not by much and still spiked up stupidly. Covering his eyes was a pair of goggles.

"Cadet Cloud Strife." Sephiroth said, breaking the silence. Almost immediately the blonde stiffened, shooting up and drawing the longest blade from his back. It looked eerily of Angeal's. Taking a moment to look back he realized his mentor was gripping the handle of his blade as well.

"Oh? What's this? Another trick?" The voice was deep, a little rough from probably misuse but otherwise as adult as a voice got. "Sorry, didn't think you'd stoop this low, Sephiroth."

So much was seen in those words it made Zack's head hurt. This Cloud wasn't the weak little cadet that had been there a few minutes prior. This Cloud was battle ready, holding a blade he shouldn't even be able to lift. His arms had lean muscle and his stance clearly meant he knew what he was doing.

"I wasn't aware we knew each other. You have been hit by the bazooka." Sephiroth was speaking slowly but anyone who knew him could see the interest and excitement in his eyes.

Cloud stopped, lifting himself from his crouch and looking around before giving a bitter smile. He lifted the blade straight at Sephiroth with confidence oozing out of him. "I wonder, if I kill you, how will the future turn out. Will I die?"

Cloud stopped, looking at the others with mild interest. Well, as much as Zack could tell, the goggles made it impossible. "Not exactly the people I would like to see."

He reached up, messing with his goggles, as if playing with a thought.

"Well, what happened to you, Cadet?" Genesis asked, hand on his rapier. Cloud turned, tilting his head curiously at the other. His gaze fell on Zack, mouth twisting almost bitterly.

"Well, that ruins the surprise, right? Not much, am I, Zack?" Angeal was immediately by his side. Zack frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hmmm, giving up on a kid before even giving him a chance. You're such an asshole. I always wondered what you had been thinking. Why you even thought it. But then again, everything started with you. I was just a casualty along the way. Sad, right?"

Before he could elaborate pink smoke engulfed the room again and the strange cryptic Cloud Strife was gone.

In his place was the small cadet. Blue eyes immediately met Zack's gaze before all the others. The determination was back, but this time there was an underlying hate that no one could identify. He briefly noticed a red ribbon tied around his hand, he was clutching it tightly.

Sephiroth moved, as if to apprehend the blonde but Cloud struck first. He moved back, made a dash for a window and jumped.

The firsts rushed to the window and saw a flash of green, signaling the use of an exit materia.

Zack held his breath, Cloud Strife, weak and defenseless Cadet was now public enemy number one and no one would ever really know why.

* * *

Cloud coughed at the smoke entering his lungs. What a terrible way to signal a transport.

"Welcome back." He perked up, looking across the room where Aerith was seated, tying together ribbons and flowers. The young Cetra smiled brightly, humming to herself as Cloud made his way over. In the darkness of the room it was easy to ignore the war going on outside. The war started by the treacherous Jenova and her chosen champion.

It was easy to forget how he had been tortured for years, lured by a man he called his best friend. A man who was nothing more than a puppet to all. He kneeled beside Aerith, laying his head down on her lap. She giggled, running a hand through his hair like he was nothing more then a child. In some ways, he still felt like a child.

"What did you do?"

"Hmm, that ruins the fun. I told him what he wanted to know. What you wanted to know. I gave him the blessing of the planet. Who knows, maybe we'll have a fighting chance."

Cloud closed his eyes, gripping her tightly. His job was to protect the cetra, protect her with his life. There used to be more guardians but they had all fallen in the war. The more recent ones having been the love of his life. But he had Aerith to protect and in the moment he had left her he saw understanding in her eyes.

That was what made it better, even if it hurt.

"Cloud, you are loved by the goddess. We love you." She whispered softly, small frail body holding him close.

Cloud had a fighting chance. Cadet Cloud Strife knew exactly what to do.

"I merely gave him the blessing and a little helpful nudge."

Together, they faded, ignoring the cries of war and of the dying planet around them.

* * *

**A/N; in this universe Zack Fair was Jenova's chosen champion. He hadn't realized it until it was too late. He led Cloud on, taking him to Jenova and letting him suffer before he was used as the catalyst of Jenova's war. That is the reason he didn't approach Cloud and shunned him. It was as if to protect himself from the thought and taint of Jenova but he ended up playing into her hands. Cloud was the chosen of the planet, the reason Jenova had gotten to him first. Afterwards Avalanche becomes the resistance, taking care of Aerith who is the last fighting source of the planet. In their efforts many lifes of their friends were lost until they were the last two remaining. And that's all I got lol. Hope you enjoyed it.**


	8. universe-can't-have-two-cloudsoneshot

**A/N: I lost track of how many chapters I have.**

**This one shot is tied into the universe of Due to universe can't have two cloud's, cloud gets turned into a girl. From ceiling cat. Forgot what chapter it was on.**

**EDIT IT WAS CHAPTER FIVE**

**But guys, that story has a very strong chance of becoming its own story. I have already written over five chapters and I have even started to apply thick plot and foreshadowing. That is the main reason I haven't posted the second piece to the oneshot I wrote. If I am going to make it a story I won't post it onto my drabble section.**

**This piece is like an epilogue of sorts. It was stuck in my head and so boom. Here it is. I dunno, but the idea of Seph having to walk Cloud through it was amusing. Humor ftw.**

**Summary: Sephiroth, son of Vincent Valentine and Lucretia Crescent, also a bad ass top notch Soldier. Oh, Also a therapist for his father's current blonde wife. **

**Pairings: Vincent/ Fem!future!Cloud ; Sephiroth/Younger!Cloud/Zack?**

* * *

Sephiroth returned home to a blonde mound on his couch.

A few years ago he probably would have thrown the mound out but he resigned himself to his fate, merely sighing and flicking on the lights.

The bundle stirred, a pair of mako bright eyes staring him down from the doorway. As unpleasant as it was Sephiroth still felt that shudder whenever they were in close quarters.

It was nicknamed the Sephiradar by one over enthusiastic Zack Fair.

"You should have common curtesy to at least cook me dinner."

The female snorted, bundling the blankets closed to her body as she sat up. She was still angelic despite the years. She was pushing for a little over thirty but still looked as young as 25.

Her blonde hair was longer, messy and unkempt with bed hair. She never cared for her looks, something that had seemed to attract his father. There was a flush to his cheeks, it made him aware of the bags under her eyes and the way she hunched over, she looked completely exhausted.

"You're a big boy."

Sephiroth turned, walking into the kitchen portion of his living room and fishing around for a few pots and pans to start dinner. "Then contributing to my grocery runs seems fair. You nearly swallow my fridge every time."

"Bullshit. You clean that tin can out faster than Denzel and his little friends can."

They both stopped to grunt at the image. The small cadet Soldier groups were an absolute pest with everything considering. It reminded him of sapphire bright orbs and an innocent smile. He shook his head from the thoughts, grabbing a hair tie from a nearby drawer and pulling his silver locks into a ponytail.

"Besides, not hungry."

The silver elite turned sharply, one perfectly arched eyebrow enough for the blonde to understand the silent question.

The female shuffled into the blankets, sighing. "I feel shitty. I've got a headache the size of wutai and heck, if I have to listen to Denz and Cloud talk about swords I might throw up. Doesn't help they decided to study over at my place. Shit, _Zack_ is there to."

Sephiroth hummed in acknowledgement, fishing through the cabinets for the pasta and the sauce. "You don't get sick often. The mako is supposed to take that away."

"Yeah. It's got me a little edgy and I am not about to start worrying Denzel again. Vince'll be on my case too. I just need rest and your place is the quietest option I have."

The general grabbed a pot, filling it with water before turning to the fridge and grabbing the ground beef. "You're welcome any time. However, I'm concerned that once they learn of your hiding place my solitude will be hanging in the balance."

Her nose wrinkled in distaste at his words and he nearly cracked a grin. "Not to mention we have Marlene over right now to. Ugh, I should have let Tifa take her in at seventh heaven. Why didn't I let them?"

"You make terrible decisions when half awake. I thought we established this."

Her scowl was worth the accidental overflowing of his pot. He paused, "And why is Barett not with his daughter?"

The blonde laid back down, curling into the blankets again. "Cid and Barett went to bail out the wutaian menace from the northern crater. She's under my watch since Rufus is trying to make his stupid move on her."

He really shouldn't... But she made this way too easy. "Cloud, you do realize you offered to house Yuffie in your home as well, right?"

Silence before the blonde spikes lurched upwards. "Oh for fucks sake! No wonder Vince was all high and prissy! Damn it! I'm really out of it. I could barely stand the mornings without puking my guts out."

Sephiroth turned back to his food as the female grumbled under her breath. He finally put the water to boil as grabbed another pan to start on the meat. "If you are ill wouldn't the logical thing to do be visit a doctor?"

"Sorry, don't trust white lab coats. And-I can't believe I'm saying this- I trust your sorry ass before them. Reason I'm here. You're the closest encyclopedia I got that doesn't include meaningless Loveless quotes and honor."

Sephiroth turned to look at her dryly before tilting his head in acknowledgement. He should get paid for being her shrink. "List off your symptoms then."

She hummed, opening her mouth, "Throwing up, headaches. Been cramping, and aches in regions better left unsaid. I'm also exhausted as hell. Vince can't even wake me up in the nights anymore."

The general momentarily paused in his stirring, thinking the symptoms over and reading off all the information he knew. "And your last menstrual cycle? I don't want you asking me this if it's just going to be mother natures gift."

Her gaze was hotter, obviously annoyed at the jabs of her most obvious gender. Denzel had said Cloud took a lot of time to adjust to the idea of being a female. Sephiroth could only see her as a female. Though looking at the younger Cloud, who everyone but Cloud herself nicknamed Spike due to Zack's interference, Sephiroth saw exactly what had been. Those Sapphire eyes were back and he beat at the meat a little more aggressively.

"Huh. I'm late. What's that have to do with anything?"

Everything clicked and he spoke without realizing it.

"Oh, quite simple then. You are pregnant."

They both stopped, Sephiroth doing a double take when he realized what words had left his lips. Cloud resembled a deer caught in the headlights before squeaking out in a very female voice, "pregnant?"

Regaining himself Sephiroth nodded. "Morning sickness, missed cycle, exhaustion, aches, and cramping. To be sure you would need to take a test. Surely you have discussed this before, you did have a cycle."

"Yeah, but how were we supposed to know if Vince could even well, produce enough to make a kid!" She stopped failing and quickly added. "Well, besides you but you're a special case. Turn the stove off, I'm losing my shit and this time it's not because you're ripping my guts out."

Sephiroth looked at the meat with a sort of longing expression. He did not want to delve into this conversation. His step mother was a force to reckon with and he could barely manage to keep her satisfied. If she was upset she cleared a path and fucked anyone who dared to stop her. Well, might as well get it over with. He apparently knew more about the female body then she did.

He flicked off the flame and wandered into the living room where she had considerately moved aside.  
Strange as it was once he sat down she draped a blanket across him. The momentary hesitation when she realized what she was doing told him she acted without thinking. He didn't mind, it felt nice to know small things like this was almost motherly.

"Okay. Speak logic to me."

"Obviously, you are in the beginning stages of the pregnancy. I don't want to delve into the topic of conception considering that is my father you had intercourse with. You will carry the child for nine months before giving birth. A special doctor is the first step in seeing once you confirm your pregnancy. Another step is actually buying the tests."

Cloud nodded, long and hard as she curled in her blankets. "Can you do it...?"

"Don't be absurd, I would be killed on sight from a hoard of girls."

"I'm not leaving this couch."

* * *

They eventually compromised and Sephiroth called a small blue collared worker to grab the tests and return without blabbing a single word less he wanted his genitalia to be branded on ShinRa tower.

Inside the box was about ten boxes and Sephiroth sighed. He should have visited the Soldier dorms and huddled with Spike until the storm had passed.

The thought was so random he nearly blushed at it.

"Alright. Urinate on the end and then we will wait the time given for the results. Easy enough?"

She snatched the bag, scowling but rising to her feet and heading to the restroom. She was in her usual sleep ware and he noted, with just a bit sympathy she looked a little thicker around her waist. He knew it wasn't from her sleeping hours, her metabolism was too high.  
It took about two hours for them to gather the sticks and their answers. Cloud and sat in the bath tub while Sephiroth looked over the sticks.

"Read'em to me."

"Well. You have two lemons, a pink balloon, a cow, and-oh, I didn't know Reeve volunteered Cait Sith for these."

"Seph."

"They are all positive." He idly squinted at the test stick that had a dancing Cait Sith on one end. Huh. Go figure, the head of the human resources or whatever managed pregnancy tests. There was silence while Sephiroth tried to decide whether to throw the sticks out himself or wait out Cloud's inner struggle battle.

Laughter was the first thing out of the female's mouth as she looked up at him in wonder.

"Congratulations. You're gonna be a big brother, Seph."

Seph stared blankly, trying to ignore the warmth in his chest that this woman was actually giving him something that he had never dreamed possible before.

"Oh wow. This is happening."

The general nodded, turning and holding out a hand. "If your inner turmoil is over I still have dinner to make. You're welcome to stay the night. Shall I keep the Cait Sith box for father to see?"

She grinned at him, a full blown one he had only seen on the younger Cloud. "Oh. Vincent's face is going to be priceless. I can already picture his inner breakdown."

The thin but strong hand found his and Sephiroth lifted her up effortlessly. The blonde woman was still a sight to behold. A fighter with firm muscle and determination a mile high. A woman who took the world's crisis and beat them away with bare fists. The warrior that won his father, Vincent Valentine's, heart.

The woman who had opened her arms to him, spitting and hissing at anything that tried to break his sanity.

A woman bringing a new joy into the world, another Valentine into the world.

"I do hope you'll get a picture."

Her laughter washed away the pain and sorrow from dark years of hard earned happiness.

* * *

**Leave your thoughts and concerns in a review! Want more of this? or got an idea from my different drabbles? Feel free to leave them. If I am interested and focused I will take a crack at it.**

**AND Special thanks to Suzululu4moe for reviewing all the chapters. Thanks hun! You made my week with that!**


	9. Princess of the Slums

**A/N: Hey! I wanted to update something in order to tell you guys that I made a new story!**

**On the female Cloud idea! Yes, the Vincent/Cloud story became it's own thing! I believe it was universe can't have two cloud's from Ceiling Cat faves! The name **_**is Operation Kick Butt and Save the world.**_** It is already posted, first two chapters. So please check that out if you wanted to see that written out!**

**Today's drabble is totally Aerith Centric. Aerith is probably one of my favorite characters second to Tifa because Tifa was my role model. I used this story, when I had first written it to get myself out of a writers block, reason why will be explained in the foot notes. I also learned I really loved writing Aerith. Sadly, I never finished this story and it kind of just hung in the air. There are two more pieces to this, they both go into the past before this chapter. Tell me if you'd like to read them and I hope you enjoy. I real enjoy to read your thoughts, even if their small words or just a face or something so please! Leave your thoughts!**

**Summary: "****Don't worry, Cloud. Everything will be alright, you'll see."**

**For some reason, she heard the distinct sound of a drop of water fill her ears.**

**Foot notes at bottom of chapters!**

**Pairings: [ Zack/Aerith ; Sephiroth/Cloud/Tifa]**

* * *

She really had not been expecting Sephiroth to be in her church so late.

Having trouble sleeping she had escaped her home to travel here. The planet had nearly exploded yesterday with its sudden bursts. She had stayed home, telling her mother she hadn't felt very well. It had suddenly quieted and here she was, opening the door to one general of ShinRa.

Her heart fluttered, if he was here where was Zack and Cloud? Last she heard the three of them went on a trip together.

She closed the door behind her, taking careful steps towards him. Each step made her stomach fall further and further down.

"I once believed flowers were disgusting things. Something always made me hate the way they... They lived. They could be trampled but they all strived to survive."

She blinked, not sure what to make of his words. The flowers were speaking in hushed whispers. They were wary of Sephiroth.

"... But... I wanted to be like them."

She paused a few steps behind him; he carefully touched the bud of a closed flower.

"I wanted to have a will to survive. To be human." He mumbled, pulling away as his hands clenched into fists. "What do I have to show for it? Human? How on earth could I ever be human?! He never should have made me doubt myself!"

He raised a hand, bringing it down.

She stayed silent, about to cry out when he stopped centimeters from her precious flowers.

He took in a shuddering breath, seeming so small she wasn't sure how to react. What had happened to make him so upset?

She clenched her hands, taking a few deep breaths to steel herself before moving off to the side and grabbing a small shovel and the basket. She pointedly ignored her flower wagons for the moment.

Something in heart was aching at why Sephiroth was here to begin with.

She sat next to him, keeping a small smile on her face. "Let's plant some flowers. Here, you dig some holes and I'll put in the flowers I brought from home, sound good?"

He seemed confused before she shoved the shovel into his hand and gestured for him to begin. She wiped her hands and grabbed the first flower from the basket, waiting for him to make a deep enough hole before she planted the pink flower in the first spot.

"Here we go. Now, in order to make them grow we have to show them love and care. Now then, Sephiroth, show the flower love."

He blinked, there was a strange look in his green eyes; it was a little wonderful when she realized that cat like slit was gone in them.

"Come on, I'll show you." She gently leaned over, one hand cuddling the flower with a smile. "Hello lovely, what a beautiful flower you are." She felt the responding light felt whisper and smiled brightly. "Good girl. I'll name you... Hmm." She paused leaning backwards before assessing Sephiroth. "Well then, help me think of a name."

He was confused and linger of anger in her eyes. Her hands clenched in her lap at that. "Humor me, please..."

He paused, something twisting in his eyes before nodding. "Carrie. That's good enough."

Aerith smiled, something soft and shaky before she gestured for him to continue digging so she could continue planting.

Strangely enough Carrie was the only pink flower in her garden, she told him with pride that Carrie was unique and enjoying her little flower life. When all the flowers were gone she tightened her hands into fists and carefully spoke. "Okay, we have everything out of our systems? Tell me what happened."

He hesitated just a bit before swallowing, his fingers gently touched the pink flower he had named.

And then he let it all flow out.

How the trip to Nibelheim had been a set up by Hojo, how Cloud ordered him to stay away from the mansion and the reactor. But the falling out was inevitable. He remembered destroying a building before running towards the reactor, he was then intercepted by Zack and Cloud. This part of the story he was shaky, claiming how terrible it was to no longer feel in control of his own body.

Then he met Jenova. A creature that sunk her claws into him. It had all ended when Cloud sunk his blade deep into her body.

It only made her scream. Sephiroth attacked, but he attacked the alien, severing her head despite the pain and voices in his head.

But then Jenova had sunk her tentacles into the reactor.

Cloud and Zack fell into the mako while Sephiroth managed to spring away.

Cloud and Zack were not returning.

Aerith felt her world tilt. She turned towards her flowers, green eyes blinking in apprehension. Sephiroth stayed silent after his tale. Zack was dead... But... But that's not what the planet said... But Sephiroth, he confirmed it.

"I defected from ShinRa. I... I couldn't go back to a place that no longer holds anything for me. They aren't very happy."

Her mind was whirling and she wanted it to stop. She wanted Zack back. She wanted him to hold her and tell her it would be alright.

But... The planet was whispering to her.

_'Take care of him... Calamities child...'  
_

Okay. Okay.

"Okay, deep breaths Aerith. You can do this." She stood up, dusting off her white dress and gave a firm nod.

She could remember the look Cloud gave her before he left, that sad knowing look.

_'Don't worry Aerith, I promise everything will be okay.'_

Her grief was coming, even if the planet _hissed it was okay, it wasn't like they were dead_.

She would be okay with running on that for a little while. But now she needed to think. Sephiroth was the last thing she had from Zack and Cloud. A part of her suddenly stopped.

"Sephiroth. Why did you come to Midgar if you left ShinRa?"

He paused, looking uncomfortable again. "I-... I owe it to them... And... I needed to think. You let me in before I-"

She kneeled behind him, not giving him a chance to protest before wrapping her arms around him. "That means a lot to me. Don't worry. We are going to figure this out, okay? For now you need sleep."

He was relaxing in her grasp slowly. She felt a weird vibe from within him, something snarling at her

_'Mine!myson! Getoff! Get off.'  
_

She hissed in her mind as response, snarling because Sephiroth was no ones, he only belonged to himself. She felt a surge of power within her, almost like the planet agreed and the voice was quiet.

"We... We have things to do, Sephiroth. But... But for tonight I think this is good enough." She would later find Cloud's letter and would take charge past her grief in order to set new changes in motion, all while having the ex-general of ShinRa by her side.

* * *

Aerith hummed, tightening the bow in her hair before looking over her new outfit. It was a long pink dress, hugging her curves lightly.

She adjusted the small pink cardigan on her shoulders before brushing some of her ringlets away. She felt older, more fitting for the tasks she was meant to do.

She thought of Cloud's letter. Of the words he carefully wrote down for her eyes only.

_'Five years from now we would have met. I would have fallen through the church roof after a blotched mission of blowing up sector five's reactor. I would introduce myself as a first class SOLDIER and together we would escape from the Turks. Let's go, Mr Bodyguard!'  
_

She stared at herself closely, green eyes light and determined. She briefly touched a hand against her throat, eyes catching on the bracelets on her wrists. "Well then, let's begin." She said to herself softly before walking away and grasping the wooden staff hidden just behind her door.

She paused, the soft Klink of a materia hitting the ground that startled her. She stared at the light blue orb in wonder. Her mother's materia. She bent down, carefully picking it up in her hands.

_'Together, we would fight. And more than anything I would fight for you. But you always knew things I never did. You were always... There. A few days after our meeting you would give yourself up to protect a little girl after the sector seven plate fell. You would be captured in Hojo's lab and AVALANCHE would do their all to protect you and get you back. Somehow, in all the confusion you managed to make a friend in red xii. Only you would Aerith.'_

With some thought she gathered the materia and quickly arranged it into her hair. Satisfied it wouldn't fall out she exited her room, attaching the staff to a spot on her side and grabbing her flower basket and starting to make her way downstairs. No one was awake just yet. Her mother was still asleep and Sephiroth was in the rest room being as quiet as possible.

_'We traveled out of Midgar, on the run from ShinRa. I had never seen you so happy before then when we got to actual forest and greenery. We fought together and... I betrayed you. I couldn't fight him off. And then. And then you died. I couldn't do anything. I'm so sorry. Even in death, you had to come save our asses and it was all my fault you had to in the first place.'  
_

She walked around the slums, awaiting the chance to finally do what she had been hopping to do since forever. More confident in her abilities she walked into the church, stared at the tiny field of flowers before setting her bag down and walking into them. She silenced her mind and kneeled in the bed of flowers. She clasped her hands together and prayed. Prayed for the answer.

_'I took you from a world where you would have been happy. I was selfish. I wanted to see you again. I wanted you to tell me it would be alright. I ended up bringing you back into this problem. As the last ditch effort of the planet... I need to return to it. I don't know how long it'll take but five years will still be too long. Aerith, I've failed you again.'_

She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, silently praying as her heart hammered harshly in her chest. When she was done she bent down and grabbed at a few flowers, not caring for the dirt under her nails before she got up. With a good amount of flowers she left the church, thoughts replaying everything Sephiroth had told her the night before.

She was dimly aware of someone following her. It didn't matter, once outside she set herself to work. There was a lot of trash around the church but that was fine. She picked a spot by the ends of the stairs and began to dig and depositing the flowers. With a few whispered words of encouragement she repeated the process till she hit the ends of the metal.

"Aerith, what are you doing?"

She paused in her work, so wrapped in her task she hadn't noticed Tseng approaching her. "Ah, hello Tseng. I thought maybe the flowers would like to expand. What do you think? I think it'll look lovely."

She smiled, getting to her feet and dusting her hands off. She stepped back to gaze at her work in amazement. It was absolutely beautiful.

_'I will try my best to do what I can for you. I will not let you die. So I want to tell you all I can about the Cetra and the calamity. I hope... It'll do you more good than it did me.'  
_

"It does give the place a nice look. Aren't you worried people will notice?" He asked it dryly, observing her from a certain distance away.

Aerith turned to carefully gaze at him. A small smile on her lips, she was certain it was a bit sad. "Flowers full of Midgar. I'm sure Zack will be surprised when he comes back to the church. Do you think he'll like it?" She clasped her hands together, taking a deep breath to gaze at the beautiful sight of the church surrounded by flowers.

"Aerith. I have to request you come with me. There has been some developments." Tseng said the words stiffly, he always was a sour puss. She thought about it, carefully closing her eyes. Isn't this how she got taken in Cloud's letter?

"I want to see the sky." She suddenly said, opening her eyes to look at him in determination. He seemed startled by her declaration and she took that chance to smile in reassurance. "Have you ever wondered what it looks like? Naturally people know what it looks like. But I don't. It scared me."

She suddenly stopped, kneeling to grab her flower basket.

"Aerith. Please."

She stopped, kneeling and gazing at the dirt turned over with her flowers. Why was Tseng asking for her now? Did something change?

She was scared, this was too big. She couldn't do this, not by herself. But then she thought of Sephiroth who was currently in her home, sleeping after all his turmoil. Right. She was doing this for him. For Cloud. For Zack...

"For the labs, right?"

He stayed silent, but she heard the small signs of movements from him. She got up to face him, no longer smiling. "I'm sorry Tseng but I can't go with you. I refuse to do anything that involves Shinra's motives."

Like she thought there was a shift in his eyes. Turmoil, she decided. He really didn't want to take her in. She was reminded of her time playing in the slums and those times she made him a flower crown.

"Then I have to take you in by force, Miss Gainsborough."

Her heart squeezed up her chest as she made a grab for the staff attached to her hip.

It was funny, considering it was Cloud who taught her how to properly attack with a staff. Not to mention he had let her practice with a few of his materia. She would need to buy some, she decided. She doubted she would be any good against Tseng but hopefully it was enough to escape.

"I won't go with you. There's no way." Her hands tightened, angling the staff in front of herself protectively.

Tseng made a move to grab the concealed weapon on his side before her gaze was covered in red.

In an instant she heard the sound of a gun's safety being flicked and a man was in front of her, holding it to Tseng's forehead.

"Miss Gainsborough is under my protection." His voice was dark and raspy, but was almost like an attractive velvet. Aerith released a breath in wonder. Under his protection? Who was he?

He wore a long torn red cape, he had long black hair but most of his outfit was covered from her view. Sadly she was shorter then him, his broad shoulders covered most of where Tseng had been.

"Should you continue to try and take her I will attack." His voice was low but powerful. She clenched her staff tightly in both hands, trying to ignore the whispers coming forth from the planet. But she could hear something else, something soft whispering inside of the man. Almost like when she was around

Cloud...

Tseng froze, being held at gun point was not fun at all. "And who are you?" Tseng asked, his feet shuffling back to give himself some room to breathe. The red cloaked man didn't let up his position but Aerith was able to see the wutaian Turk now.

"That is none of your concern Turk." The man took a step back, a golden claw reaching out to her and she pieced it together. A red cape and a golden claw? Vincent Valentine. Cloud's friend.

She looked up sharply, understanding flashing across her face before she reached forward too. She grasped his forearm and he yanked her towards him.

"Aerith!" Tseng's voice was sharp but Aerith no longer cared. She had made her point clear to the other man. Her heart still hurt, beating harshly in her chest as she was reminded of the reason why Tseng was going to take her in.

There was the sound of rustling as Vincent Valentine covered her in the cape and suddenly she felt weightless.

Everything was happening too fast but when the man let her go, with a soft gentle touch that didn't fit his dark looks she felt better. The general of Shinra and one ex-turk of Shinra would make Cloud's dreams come true. Yes, she would trust Zack to Cloud for now. She had a new goal in mind.

"Don't worry, Cloud. Everything will be alright, you'll see."

For some reason, she heard the distinct sound of a drop of water fill her ears.

* * *

**Notes: Aerith has spunk. The storyline for this is that Aerith had been reborn in our modern universe before she had been ripped back to Gaia. She was brought back to Gaia because Cloud accidentally called her when he was sent back in time to stop Jenova from consuming the world, or from her virus. Cloud was supposed to have started to change things, seen by Sephiroth not falling in the reactor. Basically Sephiroth and Vincent team up with Aerith who starts continuing Cloud's plans. She learns to fight and becoming like the princess of the slums or something. I don't know why but Tifa was supposed to become the leader of Avalanche and they would make a small military force to help get rid of Shinra. That's where Sephiroth would fall in love with her. Hope you guys enjoyed this. I adore writing Aerith. By the way, saw how I switched roles of Cloud guiding Aerith from the lifestream in this?**


	10. Who Knew

**A/N: Sorry I have not updated here for awhile. I've had trouble deciding wether to post the next piece of Aerith from the three part series. Nothing was in order so I was afraid of confusing people.**

**Instead I bring you this idea that came from an AMV I watched for Aerith and Tifa on the son Who knew by Pink. It fit, if you don't look at it in the romantic way. I absolutely love both characters very much. Im not much of a Cloud and Aerith fan but that doesn't mean I hate her. I love Aerith. As for Tifa I absolutely adore her. So I made a chapter in her honor. Or well, more because I enjoy the thought of Tifa/Aerith friendship.**

**Please check out my new story for a oneshot that was posted on here!**

**Operation Kick Butt and Save the World!**

**Thank you! Please leave me a review on your thoughts, id love to hear any ideas you might have come up with from reading my oneshots. I'd love to take a crack at them!**

**Summary: Tifa was strong. She held people up and helped support the ones who needed it. But even the strong ones have a weakness and hers was in the form of Aerith Gainsborough.**

**Pairings: Cloud/Aerith ; Zack/Aerith ; Tifa/Cloud(onesided)**

* * *

"Hell-oo!"

She blinked, looking up in surprise at the flower girl waving in her face.

"Tifa~ you're spacing out again." Green eyes shined, the brightest smile on the face of one Aerith Gainsborough. "That's bad for business."

Tifa smiled, rolling her eyes before moving to start washing up dishes again. She had gotten distracted again. "Ah, Aerith!" She exclaimed, seeing the pot of dirt that was dropped down onto the bar.

The girl grinned, "Oh shush! Flowers are beautiful."

"No, the dirt. I just cleaned the counter top." She reached for the pot, seeing the small designs drawn into the pot by the flower girl.

"Those are from the church! I thought it would look pretty by your window. Mind if I make a sign for the church?"

Tifa laughed, laying the pot by the back sink, shaking her head in amusement. "Of course you'd be using this as an excuse to expand your business. And I thought it was a gift." She teased, amused at the bright grin Aerith gave back to her.

"Tifa!"

She turned, seeing Denzel running down the stairs, Marlene by his heels as they both giggled. "We're gonna go out to the church, is that okay?"

She turned to Aerith, giving her an accusing look. Though the giggle she stifled only made her sigh in defeat. She was too sweet for her own good.

There were heavier footsteps, everyone looking to the stairs where Cloud emerged. His eyes fell on Tifa before the kids and then on Aerith. He gave a small smile, jogging down the steps. "I'll tag along."

"Is everyone leaving me to clean up?" She exclaimed, exasperated as Aerith leaned forward, giving her a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"I'll send them back to help you, I'll make them all the perfect little helpers!"

Tifa batted her away, nodding her head as the four of them all exited the bar. For a moment her heart squeezed, the way Cloud held the door open and helped the flower girl out always hurt. Seeing the way Aerith flourished under the attention made it sting.

Shaking her head, a fond smile slipped on her lips. If that was what they wanted she was happy with it. After their initial fighting Aerith was her best friend. No one could hate her, if she loved Cloud Tifa knew she would take care of him.

Even if it hurt that all the support she gave him would never be enough for him.

She turned the faucet back on, setting herself onto the task of washing dishes.

* * *

"Thanks!" She waved at the store clerk, jogging a little in her attempt to reach home before dark. She still had to set up before she opened. She had taken a nap and accidentally overslept. The only benefit was she owned the place and could open when she wanted to.

With a bag of alcohol in her hands she approached the bar, catching sight of a familiar figure standing by the door.

"Reeve?" She frowned, shuffling her bags as the man gave her a polite smile. "What are you doing here? I thought you were staying at Junon."

"I was but then I had a weird feeling and decided to visit. Is Cloud in?"

She shook her head, jostling her bags to grab the keys on her hip. "No, he went to the church with Aerith and the kids. I can take a message if you're in a hurry."

He shook his head, a tight smile on his lips that made her wary. "Actually, I think it's you I want to talk to."

She didn't like the way he was speaking but she nodded, opening up the door and walking in. She closed it, flicking the closed sign and wandering to turn on lights and put her packages down. "Is something wrong? Are the others alright?"

He gave a small laugh, taking a chair as she busied herself on the shelfs. If the talk didn't take long she would still open for business. The kids were due back soon and she'd be busy getting them cleaned up for dinner... Dinner. She hadn't even started on, damn it.

She shook her head, annoyed she was thrown off her game.

"Everything is alright. I was curious. Usually Cait Sith has a lot of fortune telling come true and recently he pulled up one that made me concerned. He said one day we would lose someone dear."

She froze, hands tightening around the bottle of Yeager. She took a breath, shaking her head and putting it back onto the shelf. She reached for a glass, ready to prepare Reeve's favorite drink.

"I was looking at you and... You have a resigned look on your face."

She knew what he was getting at but she refused to think it. She refused to think of her dreams, of cold green eyes, of bright red flames, of a tainted pink dress-

She sucked in a deep breath, clenching the glass and almost breaking it.

"I fear... We will lose someone very special."

"Reeve. I doubt any fortune telling a will predict someone dying." She said sharply, pouring the alcohol into the drink, mixing it with some Dumbapple cider.

"I would like to believe that... But the last time Cait Sith predicted that... Fair was lost in battle."

Her hands clenched, staring at the wall and not facing him. She knew Caith Sith was good at predicting. She just didn't want to believe it. Zack...

He had smiled at her, reassured her even when her heart had clenched watching him leave with Cloud.  
And when only Cloud returned, Aerith had broken into tears, cried onto her shoulder for hours.

Reeve had to shut up.

"I want to proceed with caution. And prepare ourselves... Some people-"

She turned, surprising them both when she actually tossed her fist to his face, catching him in the jaw. Tears blurred in the side of her eyes, her breath heavy as the man groaned.

She sucked in a breath, blinking. "Oh god, Reeve I'm sorry!" She turned, leaving the counter while grabbing a rag of ice as she approached him. "Swear I didn't mean to." She said softly, kneeling by him and meeting his dark eyes.

He stared at her heavily before raising a hand to cup her own. "Tifa, you know better."

She pressed the ice to his face, getting up and attempting to hide. He was wrong, she was not going to disappear.

"Reeve?"

"Tifa!"

She jumped, blinking away tears at the kids who ran in, flower crowns on their heads. Her heart tightened, she gave a smile, raising a hand to cup her mouth and take a deep breath to wash away any sort of emotion from her face. The kids weren't involved in this.

"Tifa?" Cloud asked, bright blue eyes staring at her curiously. She waved at him, kneeling by the kids with a smile.

"Wow, what beautiful flowers you guys."

If there was one person to see through her, it had to be Cloud.

But seeing the happiness lingering in his eyes she refused to be the one to break it.

Reeve was wrong.

* * *

"Gently! You're doing it wrong!" The girl chided, reaching to wrangle the scissors from her hands.

Tifa frowned, puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. "You wanted help! Stop criticizing me!"

Aerith stuck out her tongue, turning to her flowers and cutting a few edges.

Tifa frowned, sitting back down and staring at the girl. "Hey, Aerith. Will you be here? Forever?"

The girl turned, confused but still offering a small smile. "Well of course. I can't just leave you. You'd be lost without me."

Her heart sped up, a sort of desperation creeping within her. "Forever?"

"Forever and ever." Aerith said softly, smiling as she put down her scissors and reached forward. She pulled Tifa into an embrace, one that made her eyes water, her breath shaky.

Tifa buried her face into the girls shoulder. She wasn't going anywhere.

"Everything will be fine, Tifa. I'll always be here, okay?"

She nodded, feeling like a small child all over again. "Yeah."

* * *

But just like Zack... One day she never returned.

One day Tifa's heart squeezed. One day she saw the girl walk out of the bar with a smile. One day she saw the flower girl leave her bar, never to return.

The news came from Reeve. He had been dressed in black and suddenly Tifa felt her own outfit had more meaning. Cloud had taken the message, the happiness in his eyes breaking and everything shattered.

_'Everything will be fine, Tifa. I'll always be here, okay?'_

"You're lying." She hissed when both of them turned to tell her. She had been caught in the crossfire of an attack of thieves. She had been found by Vincent, who had arrived a moment too late.

A moment too late.

Her hands clenched, tears sprung in her eyes, blurring them. No, no Reeve was wrong. Aerith told her forever. "You're lying!"

She walked straight towards him, ignoring the fact the fact the kids were playing upstairs. The fact Cloud had been just as distraught.

She was supposed to take care of Cloud. How could she if she was... If she was dead?

"Tifa, I said-"

"She promised me! She promised me it would be okay! Please! Aerith!" She broke, tears staining her vision.

She moved, wanting to rush past them when a steady hand grabbed hers, pulling her back against his chest.

"Tifa... Tifa _please._"

Her heart stuttered, her whole form trembling. Slowly she realized it wasn't her. It was Cloud who trembled. Sweet Cloud who held her tight.

Her breath caught, arms tightening around his form. "Cloud..." She whispered, pain squeezing her heart as the tears finally fell from her eyes.

She was supposed to be strong. She was supposed to support Cloud. She was the one who had smiled after the Nibelheim fire. She had taken his hand and picked him back up. She had led him to Midgar and they had pieced their life together.

But Aerith had taken her hand, had smiled and washed away her suffering. Aerith had made it all better. She couldn't be gone.

She sobbed, crying into his arms as he held her tight, not releasing her for a single moment. She wasn't sure when Reeve had left or when the kids had been picked up all she knew was the warmth of the last person she had.

It hurt and she couldn't pull up her strength, not when she would never see her smile again.

_'Everything will be okay, Tifa.'_

"It's okay. Everything will be okay, Teef."

She blinked, feeling like an absolute mess. Cloud released his grip, arms still holding her tightly around the shoulders. She looked up at him, seeing misty red rimmed eyes that just caused more tears for her.  
She clenched her arms around his back, taking in a shaky breath.

"I promise."

She buried her face into his chest, a new pain springing in her chest. He was being her support. He was taking her hand, leading her back up.

"Cloud, I can't lose you. Stay with me, please."

He closed the embrace, softly choking on a sob. "I can't lose you either."

_'Everything will be fine. Even if I'm not there. Even if you can't see me, I'll be there. I'll take care of you. If you need me I will always be there.'  
_

* * *

**Notes: In this universe, the thieves that murdered Aerith are Sephiroth. Tifa has a sort of sixth sense and Zack and Cloud had been Soldiers in Shinra together. However, Shinra had a downfall as well, An edge was created after Midgar fell. Avalanche is a thing, something that all the ex-soldiers joined. That's all I have for this. Cloud is AC Cloud.**


	11. Status Healer

**A/N: A SUPER SHORT UPDATE.**

**I swear i have a lot of drabbles in progress but never finished. huh. gets rid of the point of this series thing i have going. This was meant for all my unfinished drabbles after all. I may just point them after all.**

**Check out my Tumblr for small things i write that don't end up here!**

**sexysemefish**

**also, i have ideas i think of doing that don't get done there. if you like it, please tell me and i'll see what i can do.**

**hope you guys enjoy this one.**

**Summary: A dip in the lifestream leaves Cloud with something other than memories.**

**Pairings: Cloud/everyone?**

* * *

They were fucked.

Cloud could feel it.

They were running low on MP and tiring out. He felt the strain as well. The buster sword felt heavy in his grasp. But with a pack of monsters closing in on them they didn't have a chance to acknowledge their mistakes.

He slid under a jab, feeling the sting of poison in the air. Shit. Just what they needed. A monster that was poisonous.

He ducked under another jab, feeling the snap of a limit break as he pounced down on the asshole.

He pulled back, eyes darting over to the group around him.

They didn't have any antidotes and the next village was hours away. They were all careful not to get hit.

He saw Yuffie's mistake before any of the others. She sidestepped and a vine wrapped around her wrist. She gasped, cutting it quickly before falling back.

He grunted, hefting his sword back over his shoulder and racing to her.

Her cheeks were flushed, eyes attempting to refocus. The others in the group moved to accommodate their withdraws. He looked at her wrist, taking in the blood and the open wound.

Not thinking twice he put it to his lips. She was the baby of the group, there was no way in hell he would lose her to poison!

And then all seriousness was dropped the minute her body glowed, the familiar sign of her status effects being healed.

_What._

She blinked, eyes wide and gazing at him as well. "You don't have an antidote, do you?"

He shook his head as they both attempted to reevaluate.

"Stop making googly eyes and move your asses!" Cid burst out, making them both snap to attention.

They moved to quickly accommodate the group when Tifa cried out.

There was a cut alongside her thigh. The poison set in.

He shared a look with Yuffie. She suddenly looked devious.

"Teef!" They went to block and take care of the downed fighter.

"Do it." Yuffie hissed.

"What for?" He hissed back.

"I'm just bleeding out don't worry about it."

He scowled, grabbing a hold of her thigh and looking at the cut. "Posion. We don't have any antidotes."

Yuffie made a noise and suddenly stood up.

"Yuffie!" They all called out.

She was hit, poison setting in.

Cloud was about to scold her when she knelt leaned over Tifa and kissed him.

She lit up in the curing of status effects.

Silence.

"Oh my gawd! Cloud's a status healer!"

He sputtered, trying to ignore all eyes that were on him.

"For fucks sake! Can't you be normal for one day!" Cid exclaimed.

Cait sith let out an excited sound as Vincent and Nanaki exchanged looks.

Barret cursed. "MALBORO'S!"

Tifa yanked him in for a kiss, quickly getting up as she was cured. "That's actually really useful." She mumbled, blushing furiously.

They fell into battle and, to Cloud's mortification, they all expected him to heal them from poison.

He was pretty sure he was past the point of embarrassment but then Cid would yank him upwards and there it was, stabbing through his face.

He only had to kiss Vincent once and, Gaia damn, _he took it very seriously._

By the time the battle ended (a quick peck to Nanaki's head made him feel fuzzy when he got a furry smile) Cloud was flipping them all off and stalking off.

"Cloud! You're like a princess! Oh my gawd! Let's turn into toads! Then you can turn us back!"

"Yuffie! Tifa exclaimed, exasperated.

Cloud flushed red to his ears, flipping them off over his back. He was so fucking done. Not to mention incredibly light headed.

"Ah. I'm nicked."

"Go die, Vincent." He hissed, more mortified when Vincent smirked.

The mother_ fucker._

* * *

_Notes: This idea spawned when I was talking to a friend on Tumblr and wondered how it would play out if Cloud suddenly had this special ability. Like imagine how damn embarrassed and adorable he would be with everyone suddenly kissing him because he healed status effects. Assume this was a before Ribbon era. He would be so pleased once they found the stupid ribbons_


	12. Welcome back, Miss Gainsborough

**A/N: I wanted to give the coming back to life thing a try. I wrote this as a drabble on my instagram where i roleplay as Aerith but thought i would try it out here. If you guys have any ideas on how this can go after reading the notes at the bottom let me know! I'd love to hear them. If i end up writing more of it, maybe ill post it as a new story. Not sure of it yet since i am already working on another one.**

**For all the time travel fics in the FFVII verse, the brought back to life ones are rare. so here ya go.**

**Summary: Aerith Gainsborough decides to take matters into her own hands when Jenova and her children try to take over Gaia once more. This time, she would end it.**

**Pairings: Zack/Aerith ; Tifa/Cloud **

* * *

"Honey, are you alright?"

The glass shattered. Colors began to mix together and produce an image she wasn't used to. A breath of fresh air entered her lungs; the brightness of the sun blinded her.

Her mind reeled, focusing on stark details.

She saw the ground, the sky, the woman and-and the world.

She felt herself numbly. It was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her shoulders. Her limbs twitched, her mind caught onto the fact she had limbs to twitch. Her head fell downwards, as if recognizing in order to see her head had to cooperate. Her fingers were numb, holding onto the material of a torn pink dress. It was dirty, stained with red across her abdomen.

She saw brown ringlets and her white bracelets. Her shoulders were bare; she was reminded of the cold as goosebumps broke across her skin.

"Honey?"

Her ears faintly picked up on the sounds around her. She could hear the quiet bustle of a town and the way the woman's foot dragged across the floor. She sucked in another breath, feeling a tremble spread across her body.

Her knees gave out. The older woman squawked and reached to grasp her.

Warmth. That was the first thing she registered in her slowly ticking mind. Everything else seemed faraway. She couldn't remember why but the jumble of feelings in her chests made it hurt. She felt sorrow, happiness, anger, and despair. It was a jumble of feelings and as the woman attempted to repeat her questions she felt it all snap.

She was crying.

She was aware of that much when the world suddenly blurred. She sobbed, not sure when the woman started to hug her and whisper soothing things. By the time her body was used to being she had a grip on reality.

She felt foreign to this world again. She felt like she was wrong. She wasn't used to being. She was used to a bubble of voices and thoughts and feelings. She didn't communicate through words. She melded her mind into others, picking them apart and helping them along the stream.

Oh, she remembered the foreign feeling of being the rain and being the ground.

She communicated; she led poor souls along in a stream. The lifestream.

The world clicked itself into focus the moment the word was thought. Oh, the lifestream. She buried her face into the ladies shoulder, feeling overwhelmed.  
She had been the one guiding the lifestream for years now. She should have stayed with the other ancients. They had welcomed her with open arms but she had always been different.

She was human.

It was because of that she had been able to grip the lifestream in her fingers and help those she loved.

Oh, she was supposed to be dead. She wore a tattered pink dress that only served as a reminder for her gruesome death. She was crying out of the sudden flush of emotions. And now that she was feeling and holding and _hurting-_

She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do.

"Now then, come along." The woman whispered soothingly, rubbing circles on her back as she was finally led away.

She stumbled lightly. Everything felt foreign that it was difficult to walk. The woman didn't seem to mind as she helped her along slowly, whispering words of encouragement.

The world felt like a daze for her.

By the time it came into strict focus she was seated at a kitchen table with a cup of warm hot chocolate in her hands. The warmth was striking against her fingers. It had been such a long time since she felt something like this. She twisted her legs together, becoming as small as she could in her seat.

"I have a daughter. I wonder if some of her clothes will fit."

She turned towards the voice. The woman had smiled at her. She had dark hair that was pulled back with a bandanna. "Have you calmed down?"

She gave a shaky nod, bringing the cup to her lips. Tasting the sweet liquid she shut her eyes in contentment. Once she seemed settled the woman took a seat across from her.

"My name is Gina."

She paused, wondering if her name would be good to say. "I'm Aerith."

Gina smiled brightly, gesturing to her. "Now we're getting somewhere. Can you tell me what happened?"

She paused, choking on her words. She couldn't say that she had _died_. She put her cup down, looking down at her torso and touching the area. The blood was mostly dried and smeared into her outfit. But the single clean mark of masamune left it's scar. She could feel it just above her skin. Her hand clenched lightly over it. "It's an old wound. I'm sorry, but I'm not too sure myself."

Gina gave a nod, finally standing up. "Usually we are advised not to take in strangers but I'm willing to give you a shot. You look like you were attacked or something of that sort. We'll get you washed up and sent home. I'm sure you remember that much?"

Aerith paused. Home?

She thought of Elymra brushing her hair and letting her plant flowers everywhere. She was certain that home no longer existed. But was that really home?

She choked up. What about Cloud? Tifa, Barret, Yuffie, Vincent, Nanaki, Caitsith, Cid?!

She clasped her hands together. They were all alive, she knew that much but besides that she had no idea of their location. Before she had been able to sense them but now, now in the tight container of a body she couldn't.

"I don't think I have one." She whispered softly, memories beginning to spread across her mind. Small little things she remembered from her journey and even farther past that. _Zack, Iflana, Hojo, Shinra._

But she was still missing a vital piece. One that would explain why she was here.

Gina reached out and placed a hand in between the table. "Don't worry. Every since Meteor all these strange events keep happening. You may have lost your home but you can always rebuild. It's a motto that stands for us."

Gina stood up, dusting her hands off. "First things first, a shower and a meal. Then I'll send you in the direction of the WRO and they'll be able to help you locate any family members. Does that sound good, Aerith?"

She was scared. Her hands were trembling. But her heart told her she had to continue to move forward. Everything would fall into place. She gave a nod, getting to her feet best she could.

"That sounds perfect."

* * *

**Notes: This takes place after OG and AC. (Original game Advent children) Crisis core is a thing here as well. I am still not sure if i want to add Dirge of cerberus. Maybe I could even have DOC happen as Aerith returns? Okay, basically i was gonna add a lot of angst fluff of Tifa and Cloud seeing Aerith again. Zack would be returning and even Sephiroth. (Seph is a little different in a cute way but i won't say cause its perf.) and i was going to have Denzel meet Aerith and travel back and forth from the church and edge. i don't know. this was a flimsy idea when i made it. but it might become a thing if it's interesting. It would follow Aeriths POV and yeah, i know a lot of you have a Cloud bias lol thoughts? **


	13. Waltz

**A/N: Inspired by waltz for the moon from Final Fantasy VIII.**

**Summary: "Out of Curiosity, do you know how to waltz?" He did not like where this was going.**

**Pairings: Hinting Vincent/Cloud ; Maybe some Cloud/Tifa as well**

* * *

It was such a stupid reason.

"Cloud felt himself cringe the moment Tifa had shown him the dress she made for Marlene.

She grinned, dusting off the purple gown. "It's so beautiful."

"I bet it is." He growled back, not liking the way she was looking at him.

There was a buzz around the bar; people had gathered, asking for information on the new event by the WRO and Neo Shinra.

Gaia, it was a stupid reason.

They were all excited because of the famous party that would celebrate the complete construction of a new government. One run by the people, for the people, with the people. As it was, AVALANCHE was one of WRO'S main supporters and were obligated to attend the festival. The stupid festival that was fancy and just too formal for civilians.

But he guessed everyone was excited to finally have a reason to dress up. Little girls were prancing around in dresses their mothers made and boys were sulking at wearing 'monkey suits.'

And Tifa was using this to humiliate him and persuade him to dance.

Again, it was a stupid reason for a party.

"Maybe I can find some pieces of materia to make into a crown. Marlene would love that."

And she was also ecstatic at dragging old wounds with the bitter reminder of a memory he wanted to shove away. Forever.

Tifa was the only one who knew and she was having a ball at the inside joke. He moaned, burying his face in his hands as she broke into full blown laughter.

He looked up in time to see her wiping at her eyes, calming down before putting the dress on the counter. She leaned over the bar, winking at him. "Just kidding, Cloud. Damn. I wish I had a photo though. I made her a white dress. I'm thinking of putting pink lace so I can fix the bow in her hair."

Cloud missed his solitude sometimes.

There was a slam, a loud booming voice carried over the bar. "WHERE'S MY BABY GIRL?"

There was a cry from upstairs as Marlene ran down, quickly running to her father. Cloud hid a moan of despair. If Barret was here, then-

"Tifa! Can you believe Cid and Reeve telling me I can't go! I'm the princess of Wutai! The beautiful Yuffie! Why can't I go?!"

"Shut yer trap! No is no!"

"Lassie, Reeve don't need to babysit ye-"

"Shut up! I was talking to Tifa!"

Years of being under the same roof with Tifa and the kids made him forget the loudness of their old group.

He turned, a small smirk on his lips when Vincent arrived, sliding in beside him.

Tifa smiled, "They roped you into this too?"

"As protection detail." Vincent looked very disgruntled about it.

Good. He wouldn't be suffering alone.

"Well, all that's left is to find our outfits. Edge is pretty much a good place to find fabric with everyone wanting to make it in with us."

Cloud got up in time to watch the red that was Vincent bleed into the walls.

God, he hated the man sometimes.

"You're gonna pay for that." He grumbled, letting Tifa hook their arms and drag him away.

* * *

Later on once the bar was empty and Avalanche was kicked out to the hotel in edge ("You'll be helping out local business, now stop complaining and get the hell out, you babies." Tifa wanted peace and quiet too, it seemed) Cloud leaned over the edge of his desk, gazing out the window.

He hadn't been able to say it before but there was one thing Tifa didn't understand.

He could not dance to save his life.

Sure, he could fight but dancing? Yeah, no_ way._

It just wasn't a requirement in his life style. (It made him feel better to think of Zack attempting to dance and failing. At least he wasn't alone in having two left feet.)

"The suit?"

He jumped, hand grabbing the closet weapon and pointing it at the red cloaked man at the door's entrance. "One of these days I'm going to stab you."

Vincent gave him a blank stare.

Cloud stood up, putting down the scissors and walking towards the box of clothes Tifa had finished up. They had used Cloud as a measurement model for Vincent.

"This is it. Just try it on first and I'll tell Tifa if we have to make adjustments."

He handed it over, watching the man stare at the material for a moment.

"Out of curiosity, I was wondering if you knew how to waltz?" 

He did not like where this was heading. "Of course."

The blank stare was back. Cloud twisted his lips in a frown. "It's the two step thing, right?"

Vincent put the clothes down and looked down at him. "Tifa brought it up and asked me to ask you. She wants a waltz dance from you."

"She threatened you?"

"Persuaded."

Cloud snorted, glaring at the taller male. "You're kidding. You know how to do the waltz?"

"My mother and father were quite the champions at competitions and fairs."

Oh my _gaia_. Cloud did a double take. "Holy Shiva, you're not kidding?"

"Well, he never did say he knew exactly everything about Vincent.

The male rolled his eyes and extended a hand. "Reeve wants the event to go well and you are the only available bachelor there to make the crowd happy."

"That is not a very appealing thought." He was still iffy and maybe even a bit embarrassed. "Uh, it's really fine. I'm gonna escape anyways-"

Vincent took his hand, bringing him in and making him stumble.

The guy was too tall; how positioned his hands and gave a firm nod. "You will be leading. Let's begin."

"Vincent-!"

He was dragged and he stumbled, blushing furiously as he looked down in an attempt to catch where his feet were supposed to go.

He stepped on Vincent toes, nearly making them both fall face first into his rack of swords.

Okay, what a very bad place to practice the waltz. His office was pressed for space and many, many dangerous weapons lurked about. He usually locked the door so the kids wouldn't wander in. (he could already hear Tifa lecturing him on cleaning up and locking his stupid toys)

"Again." The ex-turk encouraged, making Cloud just hate him more. This time he managed to get a few more sure steps (still looking like an awkward red chocobo) but then stumbled and crashed into his desk. A few books and picture frames clattered to the floor.

Vincent smirked within his cape, tilting his head in a nod.

Cloud grumbled, taking his hand and decided to wipe the grin off his face. It was one thing to have Tifa make fun of him but Vincent couldn't get one up on him. He led the other long, heart beating furiously as he managed, imitating a few things from before.

Before he knew it he had finished the waltz, his breathing slightly uneven when he realized Vincent had cut off his lead halfway through and now had him pressed close.

He didn't dare look up, knowing neither had expected to get caught up in the dance.

"Interesting."

He looked up, suddenly aware at how close Vincent was. Oh sweet Gaia.

"You have officially learned, Cloud Strife."

Cloud brushed it off, releasing Vincent and moving to pick up his stuff. "After you damaged my property."

"Tifa broke a table on her first try."

He jolted up. "What? When? How?"

"Years ago. She asked me."

He snorted, unable to get the image of Tifa stumbling and then apologizing to Vincent for breaking something out of his head.

Vincent turned, picking up his suit. "Thank you for the dance."

"Wha-_shut up_!"


	14. If we do this, we do it right

**Something i had shared on tumblr that i decided to post here. I am on break and am working on getting some more stuff done. Reviewing old stuff and rewriting it and doing some ideas i had planned but never had the chance to do.**

**Summary: Cloud Strife reflects on his life when Cait Sith thinks it's a brilliant idea to dress as a girl. Vincent only solidified the idea.**

**Pairings: Vincent/Cloud Strifentine**

**My tumblr is sexysemefish if you want to give me prompts and questions for an AU you might have message me there! i would love to hear from you all!**

**Enjoy! Leave me your thoughts in a review please!**

* * *

After pacing for two hours and having neither of his female companions return, his anxiety spiked.

"I'm going." He suddenly declared, hearing the chorus of the other members around him. Yuffie had been lounging on top of Nanaki, completely at ease while Cid and Barret played a card game. He grabbed the Buster sword off the wall and hooked it onto his back, quickly patting himself down to make sure he had all of his needed equipment.

"I'll join you." A voice declared. He turned, eyes catching onto the red figure approaching from the dark abyss of the room. It was easy to forget that Vincent was there.

"Aye!" Cait Sith declared, jumping off his moogle and resting onto Vincent's shoulders.

Cloud shrugged, letting them follow him out.

Earlier they had arrived in Midgar with the one task of gaining insight on Shinra's plan. Aerith and Tifa both declared to do it once they learned their only link was a honeybee customer.

Cloud hadn't liked the thought of Aerith and Tifa going anywhere near some dirty Shinra male but had agreed.

But now that it had been two hours, he was worried.

He led the others down into the sector slums, avoiding any of the evening rush as he finally arrived in the comfort of wall market.

"What a strange place." Cait Sith declared, hanging off the man's shoulder. Cloud shrugged, amused at the way the two of them looked like street performers.

"Wall market is the biggest place for shopping in the slums. Come on. I think they said the honeybee inn."

He led them along, quickly talking to a few people and getting what he needed. Apparently Aerith and Tifa had been at the Inn before they had suddenly rushed out, speaking about becoming a fiance for Don Cornero.

"What." He declared at the security guard.

"A lotta young girls are trying to earn some extra cash. The Don only wants the best of the best."

He cursed lightly, turning to his party members. "What now? Can you get in there Cait Sith?"

The cat hummed, almost buzzing. "Don't think I can. Cornero would recognize me."

He cupped his chin in thought. "Should we just bust in?"

"There's a risk that Aerith and Tifa were found out. It might harm them." Vincent added.

They fell into silence, standing just out of the reach of prying ears.

Cait Sith made the brilliant idea.

"Why not just dress up as a Lassie? Cornero's lookin' for a pretty beaut."

"What? Why? None of us are girls." Cloud emphasized the point by gesturing to their bodies.

Cait Sith gave a shit eating grin (if a robotic cat could). "Aye, but ye got yerself the face of a beautiful lass."

He froze at the implications and grabbed the cat by the scruff on the back of his neck. "You better not be implying what I think you're implying."

"A-Aye we could always try the breaking in-"

"Actually, no. This can work." Vincent, the ever emotionless turk, decided.

But he wasn't giving up without a fight. "Hell no. You do it."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the right features for it anymore."

Even Cait Sith turned his head at that. "Anymore? Oh, that has got to be a juicy story!"

"Are you going to help Tifa and Aerith or not, Cloud?"

The blonde stuttered, not even sure how this happened but well aware that it had just happened.

"For their sake." He replied dumbly.

* * *

Shortly afterwards Cloud attempted to find some way to pass himself off as a girl.

He hadn't been aware how serious Vincent was until he was led into a dress shop. A young girl stood over the counter and gave them a curious look. "I'm looking for a dress for him."

Her eyebrows shot up and Cloud took a very smooth second to facepalm.

"Uh, I'm sorry but my father has hit a slump. He won't make anymore dresses."

"How unfortunate." Cloud replied hopefully.

"We can always try a honey bee girl outfit if you're so displeased." Vincent retorted.

The asshole.

"Where can we find him?" He asked the girl instead.

With directions they quickly located the dressmaker who was drinking himself into a stupor.

Cloud attempted to be straight forward but failed. Cloud merely felt a hand pat his back before Vincent quickly engaged into a conversation.

Soon enough they had the dressmaker on board Cloud's cross dressing escapade.

As they left the dress maker Vincent got a curious look in his eyes. "The dress won't be enough. You do realize that, right? The dressmaker said the gym had some wigs and we could get some perfume by asking around."

They looked at each other with Cait Sith in Cloud's arms. "I'll get the wig." He said simply watching as Vincent nodded and headed off for the perfume.

"I could strangle you, you know that right?"

"Aye, but it won't bring you satisfaction."

"Maybe I should try it and let you know." He declared.

The cat attempted to clumsily apologize as Cloud headed off to the gym. With a quick squat contest ("I'm the champion, excuse you Cat.") He carried a blonde wig in his hands. Cait played with it as he cursed himself and headed to the honeybee inn.

"Where we goin?"

"If I'm gonna do this might as well be through."

"Ohoho! Now this is what I wanna see."

He bonked the cat over the head and smoothly got his way inside.

It took some manipulation and hasty words (avoiding the men in the back who almost made him jump into a hot tub) before gathering the women undergarments.

"Aye, how bout the pretty colors?"

"Pretty colors?" He mumbled, tucking the undergarments between him and Cait Sith for safe keeping.

"The make up!"

He took a breath before releasing it in obvious despair. "I'd love to rip you apart limb from limb."

"You love me too much!"

"I really don't." He still gave an affectionate squeeze before heading off into the back changing rooms.

"Can you put make up on me." He bluntly stated. The girl stared in disbelief before giving a coy smile. "Of course, honey. Come on in."

He wasn't sure how girls were able to stand through having crap on their face. He felt like a painted doll and it wasn't an appealing feeling.

Cait Sith was having the time of his life, humming and jabbing insults as Cloud ducked out of the way and back to the dressmaker's shop.

"Cloud."

He looked up, catching sight of Vincent leaning over a store stall and haggling for something. The man turned and stared.

"Don't even start." He grunted, annoyed at the amusement sparking in the ex-turk's eyes.

"What? I think it's great. Actually." He turned back to the store owner and the man handed him a few objects. He gave a nod and Cloud sighed, heading off to join him.

Arriving at the dressmaker's they were greeted by an enthusiastic man who shoved a purple dress at Cloud.

"I'll finish a few things up." Vincent encouraged, using a nearby table to quickly set out their findings. He did as told heading into the dressing room and quickly removing his outfit. It was a little difficult and a multitude of belts and buckles littered the floor before he was finally grabbing the dreaded outfit and putting everything on. Once it was successfully on he stared in the mirror and nearly cringed in embarrassment.

"For Tifa and Aerith." He breathed, attempting to smooth out the dress before stepping out of the dressing room. What surprised him was when Vincent reached out and grabbed him, adjusting the wig on his head before he could protest. "I fixed it with Cait Sith. We decided pigtails was cuter. He seems to be searching for virgins."

Cloud flushed, batting the others hands away in annoyance. "Okay. I get it, I get it." He messed with the wig, tossing it over his shoulders. Fingers brushed against his cheek, startling him with the gentleness.

"If you're going to do this you're going to do this right. Nothing half assed." Vincent sat him down before fixing the Tiara onto his-

"Where did the tiara come from?!" He blurted jerking back and receiving a dirty glare.

"A gift."

Looking, he realized Vincent had gathered some make up. "Wait, I already have that crap on my face-"

"We are looking for a virgin. Not whore make up. If I let you in like that it would sully my name."

"You do that for yourself already." He hissed, closing his eyes and allowing the other to apply the make up. He didn't dare ask how Vincent knew how to apply this stuff.

A secret turk thing, he assumed.

He argued about shoes (no heels, Vince claimed. They didn't have time to learn how to run in heels) before another problem surfaced.

"No. The Buster goes with me."

"Aye, Lass. Hate to break it ta ya, but a girl can't be putting that under her skirt."

"The cat's right. You can't take the sword with you. There's no way."

Cloud crossed his arms over his chest (the dressmaker added the impression of fake breasts. Whoop dee doo) glaring at them. "I'm not going in without a weapon or something."

They pondered it before Vincent quickly reached up to his cape, unlatching buckles and belts before slipping it off. "Very well. I did say we would do this throughly. I have a plan, you may go, Cloud. I will be meeting up with you shortly."

This would not end well.

* * *

Else where Reeve was holding his sides in laughter, quickly saving the photos sent to him into a secret file. The famous Cloud Strife in such clothing was perfect for future use.

* * *

"Wait down stairs with the other girls." They leered at him as he gave a shaky uncomfortable smile and walked down, Cait Sith in his arms.

They disguised the cat by dressing it with a cute pink bonnet and Tutu. A girl with a cute stuffed cat? No one would suspect a thing. Truthfully they both looked ridiculous. But they hit the image of innocent and easy to manipulate. Walking down the stairs he shuffled the cat, squinting and nearly falling down. He still had a heavy walk. ("Fight me, Vincent. Fight me!" They ended up allowing him to keep his boots.)

"Lassies?" Cait Sith asked in an obnoxious whisper.

Reaching the end of the flight of stairs he caught sight of Tifa and Aerith lounging and arguing. They were unharmed but wearing very, very revealing clothing. Aerith's hair was loose, flowing down with a red ribbon taking place of her usual pink one. Tifa had on a tight blue colored dress he had never seen before. They both turned and froze.

Cloud, remembering the amount of effort he put into his own outfit, froze as well. "Would you believe me if I said Vincent made me do it?"

"Gaia, no." Tifa breathed, a shit eating grin spreading across her face.

He flushed, anxiously messing with one of his braids.

A hand groped his chest, startling him.

"Can you believe it? I think he has more then me and they're all fabric!" Aerith squealed, making him stumble on the last step. Tifa caught him, giggling fiercely as he attempted to right himself and fix his tiara. "Stop! What are you guys doing? Let's get out of here."

Tifa stifled her laughter. "We can't. We have to see Cornero. Apparently he's the one leaking stuff about AVALANCHE being in Midgar again. It's the reason we are here. Whichever one of us gets alone with him has to get the information."

"Why didn't you tell us? That's dangerous!"

Both girl's stopped. Aerith gave a frown. "It's fine. We will stop him if anything happens."

"That's not-"

"Ladies. The Don will see you now."

Cloud felt a sudden spike of anxiety. He hadn't thought about going through with this. He was defenseless. He could fight off the Don no problem but he wasn't a martial arts champ like Tifa. He could buy them time though.

He walked along ahead of the other two, successful this time before he was finally lead to the grand room.

He would have focused on Cornero if he hadn't suddenly seen Vincent.

Vincent Valentine was dressed in a navy blue suit with his hair tied back.

He was their back up?!

Aerith elbowed him, smiling when he realized he had been glaring in fury.

"My, my! What lovely ladies we have here!"

He circled around Tifa, who hid a very disgusted smile. He went around Aerith who smiled in a polite and uncomfortable way. And finally stopped on him. Cloud averted his eyes.

"What a healthy looking girl!"

He gave a small laugh, mostly forced. The rest of it was the complete absurd situation he was in.

Cornero paced and before any of them could act, grabbed Cloud's hand. "I choose her! The healthy girl!"

"Hah..?"

He immediately looked at Vincent who for a brief moment actually looked shocked. He also saw the slight flash of gold in his eyes before Cornero courted him off to… oh gaia, the bedroom.

The doors closed and Cloud jumped, clutching Cait Sith closely.

"How beautiful! I'm sure you've been told that many, many times."

"N-not really." He stuttered. He had to think quickly. He was supposed to ask for information, right? He hadn't been sure what Cornero (the leech) had been leaking. Their wherabouts?

"So then, honey. What do YOU want to do?"

There was a pause as Cornero gestured him to the bed.

He felt a spike of adrenaline. What to do, what to do. How to play along. How to play along!

"L-let's start off slow." He took careful steps. "It's my first time."

Okay, he could do this. He came this far. Just like how Vincent had said, he had to do everything throughly.

"Oh, what a lovely treasure has come my way. Well then, how about a little kiss?"

Jeez, if he was this guy's lover what poor standards. He looked towards the door, standing by the side of Cornero. A kiss? Should he? The ruse would be up the moment Cornero saw under his skirt. He could always lug Cait Sith at him and make a run for it.

He leaned in briefly, panicking.

And then the doors crashed open.

"Cloud!"

He tossed Cait Sith, amused when the cat screeched. "Vincent I am going to rip you a new one." He hissed when the male came into view.

"Appologies. I underestimated your ability to look attractive."

"Wah? You little-"

"Quit squabbling ladies!" Tifa hissed, no longer wearing a dress but in her usual attire. She pushed Cloud back (he stumbled but huffed and quickly righted himself and couldn't wait to be back in his usual outfit) and put one leg on the bed.

"Alright, Cornero. We just took out all your men. Better tell us what you're squealing about AVALANCHE or guess what?" She smiled in such a creepy way.

Cloud stepped back and joined Vincent. "No fair. Why did I have to be the girl? I could have made a fine turk!"

"Not enough time to think a through plan out… Cloud, were you going to kiss him?"

He punched Vincent hard in the arm. "I'm going to get you back for this."

He turned, seeing Aerith doing the questioning.

Everything was under control. They would have their information.

Until Cornero cried out and the floor disappeared from underneath him and Vincent (he was momentarily aware of Tifa screeching at Cornero for being so stupid as to miss the other two girls).

An arm grabbed his waist and just below his knees before he was lifted.

He landed in the sewers in Vincent's arms very, very displeased.

"Vince."

"Yes?"

"Next time Cait Sith has an idea and you go along with it I'm shoving you off a cliff."

"Noted."

**Notes: **_This is an AU verse where Cloud met the entire group and returned to midgar for reasons. Im not getting too specific on the timeline since it was a sort of request kind of thing. Basically, the question was what would happen if the crossdressing scene happened with Vincent there? And then i simply gained the thought of headcannons that Vincent was used to crossdressing since he was a turk and would not allow Cloud to do it half assed. Cait Sith went along for the ride._


	15. How about a kiss?

Based on the idea form Lovebakagome on IG: What if it's not only Vincent that likes Cloud but Chaos too? Would Chaos push Vincent to confess to Cloud, you know seeing how awkward Vincent is about these things?

Summary: Chaos makes a little bet, hoping to embarrass Vincent.

Note: ahhh! Illusionist owl! I started to write that little idea you gave of Turk!Vince and Cadet!Cloud. however, i mentioned it to a friend of mine and it actually became another AU altogether. Thank you so much for the idea! It has an OT3, meaning there is one other person besides just Cloud and Vincent but it has a lot of family fluff and actually, a bit of angst. If you are interested, give me a PM and i'll send you to the Link on what we had for it. I hope you like it! This goes for everyone as well! Send me a PM on here or on Tumblr and ill let you know about any projects i have or if you have a request!

(I forgot i can send PM's but whatever, sorry for taking up chapter space, enjoy!)

* * *

"It'll take me fifty Gil at least." Cloud stated, waving his arm into the direction of the stand.

Vincent raised an eyebrow at the gesture. "You have no faith in yourself."

"Yup." He said, putting his hands on his hips. He squinted his blue eyes, reaching out to grasp the paintball shooter off the stand. "I'm a swords guy, Vincent."

Vincent crossed his arms, hiding a smirk as the blonde held the gun. He was a bit awkward, the slight flexing of his forearms making his eyes dip on the slight lean of his body. The large sword on his back ruined the image of a regular blonde.

His arms were mostly bandaged with gloves and worn out bracers decorating his wrists and fingers. He was mismatched, small, and just a bit too pretty. He diverted his attention to the game, noticing the stall owner placing the bottles and stepping back. "How about a little incentive?"

Cloud turned briefly, mako blue eyes looking curious.

He was about to request some extra Gil (Cloud could deny it all he wanted but more money meant hoarding more pointless items he claimed he absolutely needed) when he realized he was already speaking, his body moving without him acknowledgement.

"**A kiss.**"

Cloud's eyes widened.

Vincent felt his stomach dip at the sudden cold feel of–_what did I even say?!_

He coughed, wondering how to patch up such an obvious statement when Cloud gave a smirk.

"A kiss, huh?"

He aimed, looking absolutely serious. Vincent swore if he could blush he would be.

Sadly, Cloud was a terrible shot and only got two.

He sighed, leaning over the stall in obvious defeat as Vincent attempted to patch it up. He looked so forward to the reward.

"**I'll try it.**" He suddenly said, aware of the fact he had not just said that. Except that he had.

Almost instantly he realized what had happened.

**'It's been such a long time! Stop ogling him and just go!'**

Chaos. The son of a_ bitch._

He grabbed the paintball gun, dropping some Gil as Cloud stood close by. He felt that small flare of anxiety at the closeness. Cloud was attractive and only needed to give him a smile to make him giddy. He had admitted it was a crush, something different to his previous feelings of Lucrecia. But he had never planned to act on them.

Cloud was out of reach, bright and sunny in a weird sort of way. But he was sarcastic and witty with just the right remarks that made Vincent feel at ease. It was different from the others and their pasts intertwined in a way that they could appreciate each other.

But taking the incident of the silent crush with Lucrecia into consideration, well, he was never good at expressing any sort of feelings.

And that's where Chaos jumped into the mix.

**'He's quite appealing to look at and strong enough to handle me. I claim him.'**

_You can't just claim him_, he hissed in return, holding the gun in an expert matter.

He attempted to concentrate on the task but he was bombarded with thoughts from chaos.

'Quite nice. Imagine how he would taste. No, I think he is quite witty. I'd love to see him tear apart the Hojo one.'

He hissed for silence and quickly fired off the rounds. It was no surprise that he received a perfect score.

**'Oh. You won, perfect that means**– "**I believe the incentive was one kiss.**"

Chaos, the _sonofabitch._

He turned, seeing the way Cloud grinned in a weird smug sort of way. The plain interest made his stomach fall into a pit of butterflies. It was a feeling he had not experienced in quite some time.

"Kiss?" The blonde reached for his cape and he nearly died of mortification. Cloud was the action type and never stalled when it came to attempting to try and portray things. His actions spoke louder then his broken sentences. He received a kiss to his nose. "A reward for the winner."

He turned, covering his face with his hands as Cloud burst into loud ringing laughter.

**'You're welcome.'**

"Oh shut up." He moaned.


	16. Zack Fair attempts romance

**Hey guys, it's been awhile since i had the chance to post something onto here! So have a plot bunny i got when on tumblr reading through a friends tags. I'll be adding another one soon because they added another good prompt for some Clack goodness. Feel free to leave thoughts and something you would like to see! I know i promised a few things but school left me disorganized! I'd like to get back into writing and will be responding to messages i have been leaving for weeks ;-; sorry! i totally forgot how the ANs work here fuck.**

**Enjoy!**

**Summary: Okay, first of all, it was supposed to be romantic, Cloud, stop laughing, damnit!**

**Pairings: Cloud Strife and Zack Fair**

* * *

Zack was going to be romantic. He had worked day after day for a chance like this. It took intensive planning to make sure everything was perfect.

He had worked with his mom to make sure all the eggs would be hidden in the right locations and the one resting with the perfect gift would be within his lover's sights.

It was flawless! It was accident-proof and like hell was he going to let it be ruined!

Cloud was oblivious, more than happy to spend a holiday with him. He was a natural around kids and didn't mind when Zack asked him to play in the Easter egg hunt. Zack sported a pair of bunny ears, grinning from ear to ear as all the little kids were lined up and squealed at their chance to search. He gave a wink to the blonde at the end of the line who sported his own bunny ears.

Cloud rolled his eyes, a smirk on his lips.

"Alright! On the count ta three! 1-2-3!" He raised his arms up for emphasis and the kids scattered.

Zack extended a hand for Cloud to take and was happy when the blonde did. His heart pounded in his chest, palms sweating more than usual. Cloud merely raised an eyebrow.

He turned them towards the area where the black and white egg was hidden. He turned in time to see his mother shooting him all of the warning signals.

His eyes went wide at the little kid currently twisting the egg open and making a weird sound at the ring that fell.

Zack panicked and flipped the blonde around and shoved him in the opposite direction. "Looka that! Boy, go have fun!"

He didn't give Cloud a chance to respond before he sprinted to the little kid and bargained for the egg. "Kid, I need that."

The six year old frowned. "But it's mine. All Easter eggs ya find are yours."

"That's special." He said.

"It's mine." The boy replied with a sniff. "But I can be persuaded."

"Fu-dge!" He hissed, kneeling and pulling his wallet out. "Whats your price?"

"Enough for two tubs of ice cream and 20 extra."

Zack sputtered. "What? Kid, i barely have a fifty on me!"

"I guess you don't get the egg then." The kid crossed his arms over his chest and Zack nearly strangled himself. Of course the one kid in Gongaga that knew how to swindle people had the stupid ring.

He forked over the fifty with a heavy heart and the kid put the egg in his hand.

Zack sighed, shook that egg and gaped in shock.

"YOU SAID THE EGG, NOT WHAT WAS INSIDE!" The kid sang before darting off into a crowd of children.

Zack stared, heart sinking before it rose in fury. "Oh. You little fuck-"

He wasted no time chasing after him.

* * *

"Cloud, it was supposed to be romantic!" Zack exclaimed.

"Mhmm. You ended up in the carnival jail instead. I had to bail you out of a cardboard box prison." Cloud said, hands on his hips as he glowered at Zack who was sprawled on the ground of the tiny prison. Inside were two other kids who looked roughed up.

"He swindled me. I lost the engagement ring and fifty gil. Oh my ego is burned."

"Good." Cloud remarked. "That'll teach you. Chasing a kid into a river, I mean, _really_ Zack?"

Zack peeked up at the fuming blonde. "I really love you."

"Mhmm."

"And I want to spend forever with you."

"You're so hopeless." Cloud rolled his eyes, reaching into his own pocket and pulling something out. "I guess I gotta do it myself, hm?"

Zack stared, confused before realizing the ring in Cloud's hands.

He stared and stared until he laughed, holding his sides at the utter agony of Cloud holding a ring pop.

"Wha-when-?"

"I saw the box in your suitcase when we were packing." He knelt by the raven haired male and swayed the cherry flavored ring pop around. "So? Wanna marry me?"

"Of-fucking-course, you dork." Zack said, sitting up to kiss the blonde on the lips.

* * *

**NOTES: This universe ties in with another one shot i will be posting of Zack, Cloud, and a vending machine.**

**I have a tumblr! sexysemefish where i am a total dork and reblog stuff for the fandoms i like while occasionally writing!**

**I have an Archive of our own account as well. I am currently writing many fics of Gravity Falls on there, so fair warning if you are interested in checking it out. My username is the same one as on here!**


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